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REMINISCENCES 



OF THE 



War of the Rebellion 



1861-1865 



BY 



COL. ELBRIDGE J. COPP 



The youngest Commissioned Officer in the Union Army who 
rose from the ranks 



PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 



PRINTED BY 

THE TELEGRAPH PUBLISHING COMPANY 

NASHUA. N. H. 

I9li 






Entered According to Act of Congress in the year 1 9 
BY E. J. COPP 
in the office of the Librarian of Congress at 
Washington, D. C, U. S. A. 






€CI.A^921S0 



\ 



^ 



To my dear daughters Charlotte and Edith 

this book 

is lovingly dedicated. 



PREFACE. 

My War Reminiscences as originally written were 
not intended for publication. During all the years sub- 
sequent to the close of the War I had been asked from 
time to time by my daughters, Lottie and Edith, to write 
down the stories I had told them of my war experiences; 
I had written from time to time in complying with 
their wishes, descriptions of many of the movements and 
battles, and as I progressed the work became interesting 
to myself, until it finally assumed the form of a complete 
story from the beginning to the end, and still it was my 
purpose that there should be but an edition of two vol- 
umes, typewritten and bound, for my daughters only. 

My friends had seen something of the story, and 
suggested that it should be given to the public in some 
form, and to this I finally agreed, and its first appearance 
was in a revised form for the Nashua Telegraph, pub- 
lished in weekly chapters. 

Since its publication I have had numerous letters 
from many sources, urging that it should be published 
in book form. These letters from well known people 
throughout the state and country have been so highly 
commendatory I have found courage to submit the work 
for public approval. 

In the preparation of this book I have received most 
valuable assistance from Miss Lottie B. Plummer, my 
Deputy and co-worker in the Probate Office, who has 
typewritten the entire work from dictation. I am also 
indebted to many of my old comrades of the 3rd N. H. 
Regiment for assistance and suggestions, especially to 
Maj. J. Homer Edgerly, Maj. William H. Trickey and 
Capt. Daniel Eldredge for valual)le information as to 

5 



dates of our movements, and other data found in the 
history of the Regiment, and also for numerous illus- 
trations that appear in this volume. 

I have been asked if I have wri^en these reminis- 
cences from diaries kept through my service. As a mat- 
ter o( fact, I have written practically all of the story from 
memory. I have regretted many times the loss of the 
diaries and records kept during the War; in some one of 
the chapters I think I have stated that all the records of 
my Regiment went to the bottom of the James River 
when in transit from Norfolk to Bermuda Hundred in 

1864. 

It is a marvellous truth that in the storehouse of our 
subconscious mind is every event and thought that has 
ever come to us; nothing is lost. I have never seen this 
truth so completely demonstrated as in my experience in 
writing these "Reminiscences." As I progressed in the 
story, many events that I had not recalled for , years 
would present themselves one after another with amaz- 
ing clearness. 

The value of this book must be in addition to its 
present interest, chiefly in the record I here have made 
of the events of the War from one's own personal ex- 
perience, a counterpart being found with thousands upon 
thousands of the officers and men who made up that 
great army of two million and more who fought through 
to the end the greatest w^ar of the century; but so far 
as my knowledge goes, and I have been told by those 
who have given war history especial attention, that this 
is the only connected story of the personal experiences 
of the soldier from the beginning of the war to the end 
that has been given to the public. 

ELBRIDGE J. COPP. 
Dated at Nashua, N. H., January i, 191 1. 



THE YOUNGEST COMMISSIONED OFFICER IN 
THE UNION ARMY. 

Some years ago the question as to who was the 
youngest officer of the War was raised, and discussed 
through the newspapers. In a communication to the 
Boston Journal Willam O. Clough, editor of the Nashua 
Telegraph, claimed that I was the youngest commissioned 
officer in the service who was commissioned from the 
ranks, having enlisted as a private and receiving my com- 
mission as Lieutenant at the age of eighteen. This state- 
ment was met by Col. Gardner C. Hawkins of the 3rd 
Vermont Regiment, who said he was commissioned as 2nd 
Lieutenant, October 18, 1864, that he was eighteen years 
old on the nth day of February previous, and it was also 
claimed by Col. Albert Clark, Secretary of the Home Mar- 
ket Club, who was Colonel of the 13th Vermont Regi- 
ment, that a young officer of his regiment was commis- 
sioned as Lieutenant at the age of sixteen. This young 
Lieutenant, Charles W. Randall, was the son of Col. Fran- 
cis V. Randall, of the 13th Vermont, who preceded Col. 
Clark in the command of that regiment, and who commis- 
sioned his son from civil life to a Lieutenancy in his own 
regiment. 

I was commissioned on January i, 1863, five month's 
and eight days after my eighteenth birthday. Colonel 
Hawkins receiving his commission something over nine 
months after his eighteenth birthday; therefore the claim 
that I was the youngest commissioned officer so far as 
known who rose from the ranks is substantiated. 

ELBRIDGE J. CORP. 

Nashua, N. H., January i, 191 1. 




FLAGS OFTHE 3RD N. H. VOLUNTEERS. 



CHAPTER 1. 




THE OPENING OF THE WAR. 

I Enlist as Private in Company F., 3rd New Hampshire 

Volunteers. The Rendezvous of Troops at 

Concord and Organization of the 

3rd N. H. Regiment. 

DEPARTURE FOR THE SEAT OF WAR. 

I HE opening of the War of the Rebellion foinul 
me a schoolboy in Nashua, New Hampshire 
16 years of age, and the second year at the 
High School. My home was divided between 
mv father's" house on Walnut Street and the old corner 
book store on Main street, corner of Water Street, m 
an old wooden building on the present site of 
Goodrich Block. The store was owned by my brothers, 
Henry B. and Charles D. I worked in the store morn- 
ings and evenings, carrying one route of the Boston daily 
papers in the forenoon, going to school afternoons only. 
I occupied a sleeping room over the store, and here into 
the night I would study to keep pace with my more for- 
tunate school mates who had the full day at school. 

I remember clearly on the, morning of this memor- 
able 1 2th of April I was standing upon a cricket at one 
of the counters of the store folding the morning papers 
when the telegraph wires flashed over the country and 
over the world the news of the firing, upon Fort Sumter, 
the opening gun of the war. My brother, Charles D. was 
standing behind the opposite counter, my uncle Elbndge 
P. Brown was sitting near the old coal stove reading the 



II 



KK.MIXISCKXCES OK Tl i 10 WAR (•!•• TIIK RKl UOl.J.K )x\ 

pa])er. Scxeral cusloniers, too, 1 think were in the store 
and ah as by a llash of hglitning were stirred to the high- 
est pitch of excitement, my nncle Brown remarking, 
"We are going to have a terril)le war." I was scarcely 
al)Ie to continue my work, and with a feeling incident to 
youth I inwardly rejoiced, and was at once filled with a 
determination to have a part in it. The most intense 
excitement stirred the wliole country. 

T need not go into tlie history of the president's proc- 
lamation and the call for troops, the organization of the 
first regiments that were sent to the front, only to say that 
I was stirred with the possibilities of l:)eing one of those 
who should respond, and to enlist as a soldier. My age, of 
course, was against the probabilities of my going to war; 
being under the legal age the consent of my father was 
necessary. I said but very little about the matter, but 
kept up a good deal of thinking, stimulated by the excite- 
ment of the day and the love of adventure. I think I can 
credit myself, however, with something of the spirit of 
patriotism. 

Nothing but the war was thought of or talked about. 
only those who were in the midst of it can ha^•e any con- 
ception of the condition of affairs at that time. The 
expiration of the three months' term of service of the ist 
regiment brought the soldiers back from the seat of war. 
and the march of the Nashua company through the 
streets on the day they returned was a great event. A 
further proclamatioii had been issued, as historv records, 
and the governors of the states had sent out the call for 
the enlistment of additional regiments to be sent to the 
seat of war. In Nashua, James F. Randlett was commis- 
sioned to raise a company for the 3d regiment, and had 
opened a recruiting office in the old armory, the attic of 
the City Hall building, and to Capt. Randlett I made 
known m}' ])urpose to enlist in his com])any, if I could 
get the consent of my father. lie thought I was rather 

12 



THE OPENING OF THE WAR 



young and rather small for a soldier, not ciuite np to the 
standard in age, nor feet and inches. This did not fease 
me, however, I was fully determined to go, and was not 
long in persuading Captain Rimdlett that I could be of 
service to him in the capacity of clerk, if not in the ranks. 
I was then in a position to approach my father to secure 
his consent to the enlistment. At first it was a fiat re- 
fusal, to him it was absurd, that a boy of my age should 
go into the army. He finally gave his consent, however, 
upon the condition that I should go as clerk to the cap- 
tain of the company, and with the understanding that I 

was not to be in the ranks in the 
event of a battle. I do not know 
what pledges were made, but I 
remember well the promise of the 
captain to my father that he 
■would be my friend and protect- 
or. In the formalities required 
for the enlistment it is not in my 
recollection, and I cannot say, 
whether I stood on the tip-toes 
to reach the required height or 
the captain used his discretion 
in making the entry. Under the 
law i8 years was the age limit and here again I suppose 
the captain used his discretion. It was fixed up, however, 
in some way, and I became a private in the ranks of Com- 
pany F, 3rd Regiment, N. H. Volunteers, and we were 
soon off to the seat of war. 

We assembled at the old armory early on the morning 
of the 1 6th of August, marched down the long flight of 
stairs into Main Street, and in platoon front took up our 
march for the Junction, through Main and Canal Streets. 
In passing the old bookstore I was on the left of the 
platoon, and out from the crowd upon the street came 
and walked along by my side a prominent citizen who 

13 




Private E. J. CORP. 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

took me by the hand and instead of bidding me "God 
speed," very much tt) my surprise, he said I was 
too young- and ought not to go. I remember this 
little incident from the fact that later in the war this man 
was one of the bitter Copperheads of the North, who 
were allies of the rebels of the South, doing all that was 
possible to discourage enlistments, and the class of men 
whom the soldiers in the army so bitterly hated, as a 
worse enemy than those they were fighting at the front. 

The 3rd Regiment rendezvoused in Concord upon 
the interval just across the Merrimack River about one- 
half mile from the city. 

This was the beginning of an experience that I little 
dreamed of at the time ; the camp was pitched, as I re- 
member, under the direction of the major of the regi- 
ment, John Bedell, who was an old Mexican A\'ar ofTficer. 
and whose experience was of great value to the newly 
organized regiment. Ten companies of loi men each, 
the field and staff oiificers and a band, then constituted a 
regiment of infantry. 

The troops \vere assigned to their quarters as the 
companies arrived in camp; their position in the line was 
determined by the rank of the captain of the several 
companies, the rank of the captains determined by the 
date of their commissions. 

Military organization means a perfect system, every 
man knowing his place and forced by military law to 
keep it. the army becomes under this rigid discipline 
practically a machine to be directed by the commander. 
This, of course, means a great deal of detail business ; the 
colonel of the regiment being assisted by a stafT of offic- 
ers ])rovided for under military organization, the chief 
of the staff being the adjutant, who becomes the execu- 
tive of the colonel. 

Kverv morning a report from the captain is made by 
tlie orderh'-scrgeant of each coni]-)any. in writing upon 

14 



'11 IK OPKXIXG OF THE WAR 

printed l)lanks prepared for the purpose. These reports 
are sent at a certain hour to the office of the adjutant, and 
show the number of men in each company present for 
duty, the numlier who are sick in hospital, and in their 
quarters, the number of men absent, and the cause must 
be given in every case. These reports are consolidated 
by the adjutant and when in the field are sent forward 
to brigade headquarters when completed: at brigade 
headquarters the several reports of the regiment are con- 
solidated and sent 
forward to division 
headquarters, and 
are here again 
consolidated by 
the assistant ad- 
jutant-g e n e r a 1 
who is the exec- 
utive of the divis- 
ion commander. 
At division head- 
quarters the re- 
ports are there al- 
so consolidated, 
showing the 
strength of the 
se\'eral brigades 
in the division, 
and are then sent 
forward to the 
c()r])s or arm}' 
headquarters. So it is seen. l)y this system of reports, 
the commanding general has full knowledge of the 
strength of his command at all times. These reports 
are insisted upon, no matter what the conditions may be. 
It can be understood that this requires clerical work at 
each headquarters, the adjutant of the regiment being 




CAPT. JAMES F. RANDLETT. 



15 



ki-:mixks("ences ok thi<: war ok the rebellion 



assisted bv the scriicant-niajor, and one or more clerks. 

Duriiii^' ni\' school days and es])ecially at the old 
book store 1 was nmch interested in penmanship, and 
could write very well at that time. I have said that one 
of the conditions of my enlistment was that 1 should go 
as clerk for Captain Randlett. but a few days after we 
went into camp at Concord 1 found myself detailed by- 
special order from the colonel to act as clerk in the ad- 
jutant's ofifice. 1 found this a \er\' pleasant duty, and a 
position where 1 could learn nmch of the detail of mili- 
tary organization. 

The time in 
camp there in Con- 
cord was well oc- 
cupied by drilling 
and other camp 
duties. We were 
fortunate in having 
for our first col- 
onel an officer who 
had been at West 
Point, and who was 
a strict disciplinar- 
ian and a superior 
drill master. Col. E 
O. Fellows. A vast 
amount of business 
is rec|uired for the 
complete organiza- 
tion of a regiment 
to prepare it for ac- 
tive service. 

T have spoken of the stall of the colonel commanding; 
the commissioned staff offiicers besides the adjutant are a 
(|uartermaster. cliai)lain, and at that lime a commissary, 
a surgeon and assistant-surgeon; the non-commissioned 




COL. E. Q FELLOWS. 



THE OPENING OF THE WAR 

Staff consists of a sergeant-major, qnartermaster-ser- 
geant, commissary sergeant and hospital steward. The 
special duties of the quartermaster are to provide tents, 
the uniforms of the men, the guns and ammunition. 

The commissary department is to provide, of course, 
the rations. The surgeon and assistant-surgeon, espec- 
ially in active service, have no easy place in the care of 
the sick and wounded. 

The calls for the various duties oi camp were beaten 
upon drums, in infantry regiments, and in reveille and re- 
treat were accompanied by the fife. There is something 
inspiring in the fife and drum and this was an important 
element in the soldier's life. The reveille, beaten at sun- 
rise, was a call for the men to turn out for roll call. 
Every man who was not on duty must be in line prompt- 
ly and in position at the end of the call, ready to respond 
to his name, called by the orderly-sergeant of the com- 
pany. 

The hours for the several calls and duties of camp are 
fixed by the commanding officer, either of the regiment, 
brigade, division or army corps, according to circum- 
stances, that is, the officer in command of the body of 
troops in any particular locality, whether an army corps, 
division, brigade or regiment. This applies to all orders 
for movement of troops or camp duty. 

Soon after reveille the surgeon's call is sounded and 
all sick men in camp who are able to do so, go to the 
surgeon's tent for treatment, forming in line, each man 
taking his turn. 

Each one is examined as he presents himself to the 
surgeon or assistant-surgeon, then medicine is given him 
by the hospital steward as directed by the surgeon. A 
hospital tent is always an accompaniment of troops in 
the field, where those who are seriously sick are taken. 
Those who are reported as sick by the surgeon and con- 
sidered as able to take care of themselves return to their 

17 



REMIXISCEXCES OF THE WAR OF '. E REBELLION 

qiKirlers and arc excused from duty, ai.d are reported as 
"sick in (juarters." 

( )n the second day of September, Colonel Fellows 
received orders to report with his regiment in Wash- 
ington, at once, and on the morning of Septemljer 3rd, 
the tents were struck and all baggage loaded on to bag- 
gage wagons, and the regiment took up its march, I 
taking my place as private in the ranks of Company F 
with the other boys \\ith knapsack and rille. marching to 
the depot in Concord, where we endjarked on the cars 
for the front. 

The breaking- camp, and the movement of troops 
early in the war meant the employment of a large number 
of baggage wagons. When our regiment left Concord 
for the front, 22 four horse baggage wagons were em- 
ployed to transport the camp ecjuipage and baggage 
and being a part of the regimental equipment. Later in 
the war the same number of wagons and horses were 
used for an Army corps. 

The scenes through the streets of Concord and at 
the depot while embarking on the cars, shook the cour- 
age of man\- of the boys as the relatives and friends, 
fathers and mothers, brothers sisters and sweethearts 
l)ade good-bye to the soldier boy, who was soon to face 
unknown danger. 

The destination was generally unknown among the 
boys; we knew that we had started for the seat of war, 
but just where was indefinite. There were rumors of an 
expedition to capture Charleston, South Carolina, also a 
movement upon Richmond, the rebel capital. 

W'e were soon on board the cars and speeding south- 
ward, through Manchester and through Nashua, without 
a stop, but thousands of men, women and children were 
at the stations as we passed, waving their good-bye, with 
shouts and cheers. Arriving in Worcester, we were 
greeted bv a great crowd of people: here a collation was 

18 



THE OPENING OF THE WAR 

served from Ixiskcts brought into tlie cars 1j\- the people 
of Worcester; hot coii'ee, sandwiches, doughnuts, etc., 
which was fully appreciated by the chronically hungry 
soldier boys. 

A little sensation here occurred, by the receipt of a 
telegram from Nashua, addressed to Colonel Fellows, 
commanding- the regiment, demanding the return of one 
of the drummer boys, "Jimmie" Moore of Nashua. To 
the best of my recollection it was backed by authority of 
the court, as it must have been to have persuaded the 
colonel to take from the ranks one of his drummer boys, 
and as it later appeared, it was done at the request and 
demand of "Jimmie's" parents. "Jii^r^^ie," however, was 
bound to go to war, and succeeded later in going with 
the 9th N. H. regiment, and did good service through the 
war. as my brother. Captain C. D. Copp of that regiment, 
testifies. "Jimmie" Moore is now one of our wdiite haired 
respected veterans, the same "Jimmie" to all of his 
many friends in Nashua. 




19 



CHAPTER II. 




Third Regiment at Camp of Instruction on Long Island. 

liE railroad train taking us to the front was 
made of 2^, passenger cars and 29 baggage 
cars moving in three sections. The absurdity 
of this vast amount of baggage was soon made 
apparent after we were fairly in the field. At Worcester 
quite a delegation of New Hampshire people who 
had come along with us, here left and returned home. 
Among the number was Hon. Fred'k Smyth, who was 
afterwards governor of New Hampshire and who did 
heroic work throughout the War at home in support of 
the soldiers at the front. 

Proceeding to Allyns Point, Conn., our regiment 
embarked on board the side wheel steamers "Connecti- 
cut" and "City of New York." Now the New Hampshire 
boys were introduced to a little of the "roughing it ;" a 
tremendous thunder storm broke upon us during the em- 
barking and loading of the baggage, drenching every- 
body and everything. Our 1,000 men with baggage and 
camp equipage crowded the steamers to the limit and 
in the storm many were obliged to camp on the decks of 
the vessels. The storm and high winds continued until 
late into the night, making a very rough passage, 
many a seasick boy already would have been glad to have 
been at home in his father's l)arn. 

We arrived at Hunter's Point, Long Island, near 
Brooklyn and across East River from New York city 
early on the morning of September 4. Here we trans- 
ferred the camp equipage and baggage from the boats to 

21 



RE:\IIXISrEXCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

a railroad train that had been made up for us. "Die boys 
now learned for the first time the meaning of the term 
"fatigue duty" and they were not allowed to forget it all 
through the War: details of men. a certain number from 
each company, were ordered to do the work of handling 
and re-handling all of this baggage and pretty tough 
business some of them thought; men who at home were 
accustomed to nothing more strenuous than the handling 
of a yard stick and dry goods from over the counter, or 
light clerical work, lawyers, book keepers, school teach- 
ers, and among them were men of wealth, now finding 
themselves as privates in the ranks subject to the orders 
of superior ofiicers, doing the work of porters and labor- 
ers in all kinds of the necessary drudgery incident to the 
movements of troops in the field, and the cleaning up of 
the grounds and the quarters in camp, all this including 
the handling of shovels and picks in the trenches, when 
facmg the enemy is absolutely necessary to the mainten- 
ance of the military organization, the cheerful acceptance 
of these conditions by the men in the rank is a heroism 
quite as great as in meeting the enemv upon the battle- 
field. 

Our destination was Mineola. L. I., near Hampstead, 
about 1 8 miles from Brooklyn. Here, upon an extensive 
plain well suited for a camp ground, a camp of instruction 
was established. 

The quartermaster had preceded the regiment with 
the quartermaster-sergeant and a detail of men and un- 
der the direction of the brigade quartermaster, had 
staked out the camp. The boys were green in the work 
of pitching a camp, but before night the regiment was 
comfortably ((uartered in their tents. 

Camp is laid out in streets, one street for each com- 
pany, tents upon each side facing inward, with four men 
for each tent. The officers' tents are at the head of. and 
facing, the compan)- streets. The captain of the com- 

22 






^ll^J'h- 




<^1 'O^CQg 


1- 1 S 

o K CO 




<h:k: 


00 [D0DQ 




«5 



i^^K -Til 
2: o^tcx"-.^ •{]<{] 



CAMP OF INSTRFCTIOX ON LONG ISLAND. 

pan}' has a wall tent for his exclusive use, the two lieu- 
tenants of each company occupying one wall tent. To 
the rear of this line of tents are the tents of the colonel, 
lieutenant-colonel, major, and staff officers. I was espec- 
ially fortunate in having an A tent for myself, pitched in 
the rear of the adjutant's tent, making comparatively 
comfortable quarters. The men each having an army 
l)lanket, made their beds upon the ground with knap- 
sacks for pillows. All this, as will be seen later, were 
luxuries that did not go with us into active campaign- 
ing. 

The following order was issued by Colonel Fellows : 
Headquarters 3rd Regt. N. H. Vols., 
Camp Sherman, Sept. 5, 1861. 

This regiment being the first to occupy this camp 
ground it is hoped we- will set a good example to others 
soon to arrive and become the model regiment of the 
command. Beginning tomorrow, the ^ 6th, the following 
will be the routine duty: Reveille at 5, company drill 
5.30 to 7, breakfast 7, guard-mounting 8, surgeon's call 
8.30, squad drill 9 to 11, dinner 12, company drill 2 to 4. 
battalion drill 4.30, dress parade 5.30, supper 6, tattoo 9, 
taps 9.30. Thus it is seen that we had few idle hours. 

Our camp was visited daily by people from the near 
by cities and towns, more particularly from Hampstead 
and Mineola. When oft" duty, a limited number of men 
from each com]:)any by permission and a pass from the 
colonel commanding, \isited these towns, making many 
pleasant acquaintances. Occasionally, the Regimental 
band went to Hampstead and Mineola, furnishing band 
concerts to the people. Subsequent to our leaving this 
place, the people of Mineola subscribed for and pur- 
chased a beautiful silk flag and presented it to our regi- 
ment at our camp in Washington, the presentation made 
an occasion of ceremony. This flag was carried at the 
head of our regiment through the entire war. receiving 



K10MlMSri':N('h:S ok TIIF. WAlt <)|- TIIK RKI.'KI.I.IoX 



iiKiiU' a mark from shot and shell, falliiij;" at the tleath of 
its liearer, hut to he taken ai^ain hy a courageous suc- 
cessor, and around this tlai;" the l)rave l)oys of the 3d 
regiment time after time rallied in its defense ddiis 
same sacred hanner of freedom is now in its permanent 
resting" place in the rotunda of the ca])itol at Concord. 

Other regiments arrixed at Camp Sherman, includ- 
ing the Sth Maine. 1 distinctly rememher the admira- 
tion we had for this regiment, the men heing of remark- 
al)le height, many of them six feet and some inches, look- 
ing almost invincible; 
we thought at the 
time that this reg- 
iment of such remark- 
;d)le physicpie must 
sureK" make a record 
for prowess and effi- 
ciency hut the con- 
irar\- i)ro\"cd to be 
true. The regiment 
was attached to our 
brigade and after 
entering hard, active 
canij^aigning it lost 
bv death and disease 
fullv J3 i)er cent 
more than the 3d 
X e w 1 1 am])shire. 

made up of men 
averaging" m u c h 

smaller in size and 
weight. This j)ro\ed true throughout the war. The 
small men from the cities pro\e<l the hardier and better 
soldiers. 

Tlie boys were patriots. e\'ery one. l)ut not all saints 
'J'hey were naturalK' bent upon a good time, to an\- limit, 

26 




GEN. EGBERT L. VIELE. 



CAMP OF INSTRUCTION OX LONG ISLAND. 

when a chance came their way; in IMineola the citizens 
were not all chnrch people, some of them kept open sa- 
loons and other questionable places. One day a number 
of the men of the 8th Maine regiment visited Mineola. 
and came back uproariously drunk, and, as it proved, 
from the most villainous of liquors. The military way of 
meeting these conditions was not the usual. General 
Viele, our brigade commander, with the true military in- 
stinct, was a strict disciplinarian, ordering every drop of 
the liquor in Mineola destroyed, and the patrol guard 
carried the order into effect. 

For a time after commencement of hostilities by the 
South, it was thought that the w^ar would not be very 
long, it was confidently predicted that the rebellion would 
be crushed in three months, but it was soon found that 
the South had for years been preparing for the rebellion, 
and that its subjugation meant the organization of a large 
army. Preparations were now being made by our gov- 
ernment upon a gigantic scale for a vigorous prosecu- 
tion of the war. Camps of instruction for the organiza- 
tion of the army were being formed in every state 
throughout the North, and troops were being pushed on 
to Washington for its defense, and for an advance upon 
the enemy across the Potomac. 

The special object of our camp in Mineola was for 
the organization of what was termed an Expeditionary 
Corps, and Gen. T. W. Sherman had been assigned to 
the command. It was understood that the expedition 
was for the purpose of making an attack upon some one 
of the seaport cities of the South. We had been in camp 
at this point some two weeks, when an order from Gen. 
^^'inf^eld Scott, from .AVashington, was received by Gen- 
eral Sherman, ordering his entire command to proceed 
to AVashington with all possible haste, leaving the camps 
with sufficient guard for protection. It was reported that 
AA'ashington was in danger from an attack by the rebels 

29 



RI-LMIXIS('KX("EvS <)K THF: WAR (>F THIO RlOIJELLIo.X 

wlu) were alrc;ul\' in force across the I'utoniac williin 
i;un shot of tlie citw 

The whole C(»ninian(l was ininicdiately emljarked on 
hoard trains and taken to Jlnnter's Point, and then 
across to Jersey City, arriving in Jersey City a1)out mid- 
niji;"ht. As soon as the trains cotdd be made read\', we 
started for PhiLadelphia, Pa., reaching that citv about 9 
o'cl(!ck the next niorning. and a very tired and hungry 
lot of soldier boys we were; no time had been given for 
the |)reparation of rations, 1)cfore leaving camp at Min- 
eola. Here we were disembarked and marched to the 
famous Coojicr Shop \'olunteer Refreshment saloon on 

Otsego street and everv 
man in the regiment 
g i \- e n a substantia: 
breakfast. This Cooper 
shop restauran*^ \\-as fa- 
mous through the war, 
supplying every soldier 
that ]:)assed through the 
city with all that he 
needed to eat, free of 
charge. It was support- 
ed wholly by the pubHc 
spirited citizens. Its 
seating capacity was 
about 500; it is said that 
over 600,000 men were 
fed at this jdace during 
the war. 

Again re-embarking, 
we proceeded to Balti- 
ilroad accommodations re- 
march from one depot to 



1 




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W 


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W^^-^ 


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^ki 


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GEN. T. W. SHERMAN. 

more, Md. At that time the 
(|uired a change of cars and 



another. This tc^ok us o\-er the same route that was 



30 



CAMP OF INSTRUCTIOX r)X LONG ISLAND. 

marched by the 6th JMassachusetts regiment, and where 
the first blood of the war was shed a few weeks l^efore. 

The streets were lined with the people of the cit}^ 
and not knowing- to a certainty that our reception from 
the rebels of the city would not be the same as that of 
the 6th Massachusetts, every man was on the alert with a 
firm grip of his rifle and in every rifle was a l)all cartridge. 
No demonstration was made, howe\er, and again taking- 
a train, two hours ride brought us into the citv of Wash- 
ington, where we found the city and country around one 
vast military camp. The excitement of the expected at- 
tack upon Washington had subsided. 




31 



CHAPTER III. 




Camp in Washington — Lincoln and McClellan Visit Our 

Camp. 

vxis^z' '-'^^ train reached Washington about one o'clock 
on the morning of the i6th. Arriving at the Balti- 
more & Ohio railroad depot, we disembarked, a 
tired, hungry and sleepy crowd of men and boys; 
there had been little sleep, the cars were crowded, two 
men with their large and overloaded knapsacks and 
blankets, with guns and equipments in each seat, there 
was very little rest or comfort. The boys made the best 

of it, however, and through the 
night with singing, talking and 
laughing, the time was passed. 
This was characteristic of the 
soldier under all conditions, al- 
ways making the best of every 
situation. Always one or more 
irrepressible optimistic souls in 
every company to help keep up 
the spirits of the less fortunate. 
Near the depot was the 
"Soldiers' Rest" so called, where 
the troops arriving from the North were fed, and early in 
the morning we marched into the building for breakfast. 
Unlike the Philadelphia "Cooper Shop Restaurant" the 
food was poor; three long tables running the length of the 
building were piled up with half cooked boiled pork, with 
bristles left on, for the convenience of handling, the boys 




^ . II I ■Willi v 

CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON 



33 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

tlionght, with large quantities of stale bread and 
muddy coffee, and the "retreat" by the boys from the 
building commenced soon after we entered, and the most 
of us got our breakfast from the eating houses near by. 

Colonel Fellows having sent our adjutant to General 
Scott's headquarters to report our arrival, we here waited 
orders. Everything was new and strange to most of the 
New Hampshire boys, many of whom had never been 
outside of the limits of the state; I had never been in 
Washington and naturally was very anxious to see the 




COOPER SHOP VOLUNTEER REFRESHMENT SALOON. 



city, and was fortunate in getting a pass with permission 
to be absent for several hours. Arthur Bingham, who 
was a clerk in the quartermaster's department, also se- 
cured a pass, and we started out together to see the 
sights. The B. & O. depot was at the foot of Capitol 
Hill and rising away above us was the Capitol building. 
Washington at this time was in a crude, unfinislied con- 
dition, it was in fact, a "city of magnificent distances." 

34 



IN WASHINGTON— LINCOLN VISITS CAMP 

I remember that from the B. & O. depot we c'imbed the 
embankment of sand and gravel up to the grounds of the 
Capitol. The Capitol building was grand and beautiful, 
beyond anything we had ever conceived of, although then 
in an unfinished condition, the derrick at the top of the 
unfinished dome. 

We found our way through the building without 
difficulty, although congress was not then in session there 
was enough to be seen, everything was so new and grand 
to us. Finding our way to the south of the building, 
from the balustrade we had a fine view of the city and 
country around, reaching across the Potomac into Vir- 
ginia. In our immediate front was Pennsylvania a^'enue, 
stretchinsf across the city to the treasury building. 
Nothing like the Pennsylvania avenue of today, unpaved 
and muddv, crow^led with teams of aH kinds, armv wag- 
ons loaded with supnlies for the army were workincr their 
way through. The building-s upon one side of the avenue, 
some of them of brick and stone, but more of wooden 
structure and very few of large dimension. On the other 
side of the street the land was low and swampy and the 
buildings were few. for a long distance were negro 
shanties, through the city pigs and geese were running, 
the sewerage running upon the surface, in short the 
wdiole citv was unkept and unattractive except for the 
public buildings. The Washington monument could be 
seen in the distance but had only reached the height of 
lOO feet or less. Further to the left and beyond we could 
see the famous long bridge over which so many hundred 
thousands troops passed into Virginia, and so many 
thousands never to return, now we could see the glisten- 
ing bayonets of troops moving over the bridge to joiu the 
army of McDowell then in command of the army along 
the Potomac. In the basement of the Capitol had been 
established an extensive bakery where bread was being 
baked for the soldiers in and around Washington. Army 

35 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

wagons were constantly coming and going being loaded 
with the bread piled in like cord wood. Of course it was 
impossible for the government to keep up the supply of 
soft bread to the army when in active operation. Hard- 
tack and coffee was the staple ration upon which the 
army most depended. Hardtack much like sea biscuit 
baked from the whole wheat and so hard that it kept 
good indefinitely. 

Time passed rapidly. Taking a walk through Penn- 
sylvania avenue, down upon one side and up on the other 
gave us an opportunity of seeing much that was interest- 
ing. The street was crowded with people, negroes and 
soldiers predominating. On the east side, as I have be- 
fore stated, there were many negro squatters and shan- 
ties, numerous small buildings, markets and stores, many 
negro hucksters with all kinds of produce, fruit, vegeta- 
bles, etc., displayed along the sidewalk. I was very glad 
of an opportunity of seeing Washington as it was in 
1861 ; no one today would recognize the Washington of 
that time as the same magnificent city of today that has 
become the Mecca for all Americans. 

It was 4 p. m. before orders were received to move 
to our camp grounds, when the march was taken up. 
moving out a mile or more to the east of the capitol 
building, where we went into camp. This was at that 
time an extensive and open country, but now covered 
with city streets and buildings. 

Troops from every Northern state were arriving 
daily and going into cam]), it was said at that time, at 
the rate of 10,000 a day. General McClellan had been as- 
signed to the command of the army, and great things 
were expected of him. It was understood that the whole 
army was soon to move against the enemy, and every- 
thing was full of interest and excitement. The enemy 
across the Potomac was near enough for the guns to be 

36 







^ ^^ 



^ c^ i^- ^^ ^/ 










>^ :^' 





IN WASHINGTON— LINCOLN VISITS CAMP 

heard daily, which naturally increased the intensity of the 
excitement. 

As the troops arrived in the city, it was the practice 
of President Lincoln and General McClellan to visit the 
camps, and usually without notice. Not many days after 
we had been established in camp, when our regiment was 
on dress parade, President Lincoln and General McClel- 
lan, riding in an open barouche, or hack, were seen ap- 
proaching our camp. As clerk in the adjutant's office, I 
was not obliged to appear on dress parade or other cere- 
monies, but frequently went out to witness the parade. 
On this occasion I was standing in the rear of the regi- 
mental color line at some distance when the President 
and General McClellan made their appearance. As they 
approached, the colonel gave the command to the regi- 
ment to "present arms," and the band at the right of the 
regiment commenced "Hail to the Chief." The disting- 
uished party, the President and the general, first drove 
along the line in front and around left to the rear where 
I was practically alone. As they approached, I took ofi 
my cap, and they both very gracefully returned the salute, 
the first and last time that I ever saw President Lincoln. 

The inspection of troops when in camp is of frequent 
occurrence, and is a necessary part of the discipline in 
maintaining the army in the best possible condition for 
service. The inspection is made by the commanding offi- 
cer. To prepare for inspection, each company is first 
ordered into line in the company street, when the arms 
and equipment are inspected by the inspecting officer. 
The guns of those days with which the army was gen- 
erally armed; were the old Springfield rifle, muzzle loading 
and in the inspection of the gun or rifle the iron ram-rod 
was placed in the gun and the test of the cleanliness of 
the gun was made in a toss of the rifle, when the iron 
ram-rod, when the gun was clear, would give the clear, 
ringing sound that could only result in the perfectly clean 

39 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

rifle. The percussion cap was used upon this rifle, and 
the nipple and vent was an object of attention as to 
cleanliness. 1 he exterior of the rifle was also polished. 

The camp must be' put in the best possible condi- 
tion as to cleanliness; every soldier must have his uni- 
form, arms and ecjuipments perfectly clean, the trim- 
mings polished and even the buttons on his uniform must 
be made bright. If conditions allow, he appears in his 
full dress uniform. At the time appointed for inspection 
of quarters the men appear and stand in front of their 
tents, their knapsacks on the ground in front of them, 
and open that the contents may be seen by the inspector, 
the siaes of the tents raised, if wall tents, and fastened 
to the guy ropes, and with A tents the front must be 
open, that the interior of the tent may be easily seen, the 
men standing in the position of a soldier, this position 
being specihcally described in the tactics. The inspector 
and the commanding ofticers of the regiment and of each 
company accompanying him, pass along the line, inspec- 
ing each company in turn. 

In active campaigning it was no easy matter for the 
boys to keep their rifles in good condition, yet this was 
insisted upon so far as possible. At. an inspection of our 
regiment on one occasion, after we were fairly in the 
field, the rifle of one of the boys who had just come off 
from duty, was not in good condition, and the inspector 
said to the young man, "Your rifle is very dirty, sir," 

"1 know it is," replied the man, "but if you'll come to 
my tent, I'll show you the best polished shovel that you 
ever saw." The man had just come from work in the 
trenches. 

On the 2 1 St of the month our regiment was inspec- 
ted by General Sherman, and a few days later, there was 
a general review of troops by General McClellan. Per- 
sonally I was exempt from these inspections, as were all 
the clerks in the different departments. 

40 



IN WASHINGTON— LINCOLN VISITS CAMP 

Oil Sunday religions services were held by our chap- 
lain, Rev. Henry Hid, of Manchester, of whom I shall 
have more to say later. The regiment is formed for re- 
ligious service in what is called a "hollow square," the 
different companies of the regiment forming divisions and 
facing inward, forming the square, in wdiich the colonel 
commanding, with his staff and field officers, place them- 
selves together with the regimental band, the chaplain 
in the center of the square. The regiment is then or- 
dered "parade rest," and the services are held. Inspec- 
tion usually precedes the religious services Sunday 
morning, although in active campaigning, we hardly 
knew when Sunday came, there being very little distinc- 
tion in the days of the week. 




41 



CHAPTER IV. 



SHERMAN EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL. 

Fearful Storm at Sea — Several Vessels Go to the Bottom. 

UR camp at Washington was full of interest 
^^^ and excitement, every day brought new expe- 
periences. It was one vast city of tents, regi- 
ment after regiment arriving daily. The 2d and 
4th N. H. regiments had now arrived and were 
in camp not far away, Ihe boys of the 2nd and 4th 
came visiting to our camp when off duty, the boys of our 
regiment returning the visits. It was here while in camp, 
that numerous otticers of our regiment went to a build- 
ing near the camp, I think it was a public institution of 
some kind, where they ground their swords to a sharp 
cutting edge, fully expecting to do the butchering act 
when they should meet the enemy in the field; with more 
experience when it was found that troops very rarely met 
in a hand to hand fight, the absurdity of such a thing 
became apparent, and it became a standing joke with the 
officers with the keen edged swords ever after. 

On the e\ening of the 2nd day of October orders 
were received to prepare to move, and early on the 
morning of the 3rd, tents were struck, baggage packed, 
and we were soon on the march for the depot. It was 
soon learned that we were on the way to Annapolis, 
Maryland, where an army was being mobilized for the 
much talked of expedition down the coast. Some 15,000 
to 20,000 troops were here organized into brigades and 

43 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

divisions, and which was later known as the loth Army 
corps. 

Upon our arrival in Annapolis, we were assigned to 
quarters in the building belonging to the U. S. Naval 
Academy, the academy having been moved to Newport, 
where it remained during the war. Annapolis with the 
Naval buildings was especially interesting to me, as I had 
a year or so before the war, an ambition to enter the 
Naval Academy, in fact, it was the very year of the war 
that i made an application for the appointment and the 
appointment was still pending when I enlisted as a sol- 
dier. Subsequent events satisfied me that I made no 
mistake in going into the army, rather than the navy, for 
1 never could go upon the salt water without being in- 
tensely seasick. Upon the expedition South, we were 
three weeks on board the steamship, and my recollection 
is that 1 was as seasick on the last day as on the first. 

We were quartered but a few days in the Navy 
building and were glad enough to go into camp and get 
softer beds upon the ground. From these buildings, we 
were moved to the banks of the Severn river, half a mile 
or so away. The first night our tents had not arrived, 
and we bivouacked. It was in the evening and we hard- 
ly knew the ground that we were upon; in the 
morning Ave found ourselves in an old and neglected 
graveyard. We also found ourselves, many of us, laying 
in puddles of water, two to three inches deep in some 
places, there having been a tremendous downpour in the 
night. The next day our tents arrived, and the camp 
pitched in regular order. 

It was on the i8th of October that the troops were 
embarked on transports and sailed for Fortress Mon- 
roe, where the navy as convoy was ordered to also ren- 
dezvous. It was not until the 29th of October that the 
expedition sailed out of Hampton Roads, with the bows 
of the ships pointing southward, nearly 100 ships in all, 

44 



■n 
O 
00 
H 
31 

m 
0) 
w 

3 
O 
2 
3) 
O 

n 

> 
z 

D 

X 
1> 
S 

T 

H 
O 

z 

3D 

o 

> 







SHERMAN EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL 

the largest armada that has ever been seen in American 
waters. These vessels inclndecl transports, supply ships 
and war ships, gun boats of all descriptions, temporized 
by the government from vessels purchased, and hastily 
made into war ships, even to ferry boats, with one gun 
fore and aft. The naval squadron was under command of 
Commodore Dupont. 

Among the larger war ships was the \A'abash, which 
gave a good account of itself in the Battle of Port Royal. 
The Wabash with the same old guns that were used 
through the war is now at Charlestown, Mass., in use as a 
school ship. Nearly 20,000 troops were aboard the ships. 
I thought it was the most glorious sight I had ever wit- 
nessed, and indeed it was an inspiration ; the decks of 
the vessels filled with troops, the Stars and Stripes float- 
ing from every ship, and the military bands upon many 
of the vessels playing national airs, cheer after cheer go- 
ing up from every vessel, the old line of battleships with 
the A\"abash in the lead, decorated with sailors in their 
white and blue standing upon the yard arms of the vessels 
with the arms outstretched from shoulder to shoulder, 
all formed a picture in the rays of the setting sun, spec- 
tacular beyond my power of description. 

The entire navy at that time was of wooden vessels, 
although the first of the ironclads to be made in our coun- 
try was in process of building. "The Ironsides," it 
was named, and first made its appearance in the opera- 
tions in Charleston harbor. 

The steamship Atlantic, upon which our regiment 
was embarked, was the flagship of the fleet, the cora 
niander of the expedition, General Thomas W. Sherman, 
having his headquarters upon this vessel. This was one 
of the largest of the trans-Atlantic sidewheel steamers of 
that day and purchased by the government. A li<-tle un- 
pleasantness happened upon our first going aboard the 
ship; reporters and other civilians had taken possession 

47 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



of tlie best staterooms in the cabin, our officers claiming 
prior right to selection. It was finally settled in favor of 
the officers. Bunks were prepared for the men. three 
deep, each man having a bunk of about three and one- 
half feet by six, for two men and their guns and equip- 
ments, which they must have at all times within reach. 

I have said but very little of my friend. Captain 
Randlett, and I would say now that his loyalty to me 
from the beginning to the end, never ceased. On board 
this ship his kind offices and influence gave me a berth 
in one of the staterooms, which was a great piece of good 
fortune, and also a seal at the dining table with the 

officers whenever I 
could occupy it, which, 
however, was very sel- 
dom. 

'I'he destination of 
the expedition was only 
known to the command- 
ing officers, the com- 
mander of each vessel 
was given sealed orders 
to l)e opened in the 
1 c\ent of the scattering 
I of the fleet by storm. 
The secret, howe\'er, 
was transmitted to the 
encni}- by spies in W ashington, as were practically all 
plans for the movement of our army during the war. 
It is known that many of the most active and dangerous 
of the spies in W^ashington were women, women who 
gained the confidence of those high in rank in army 
circles. This was one of the worst things that the com- 
manders of our armies had to contend with; it was prac- 
ticed by both sides, those who were sent from our army 
to sp}- upon the eneni}- we called scouts, l)ut when within 

48 




COMMODORE DUPONT. 



SHERMAN l-:XPKl>l'ri()X TO PORT ROYAL 

tile enemy's lines the\' were called l)y the harsher name, 
"si)ies" and the same terms were used l)y the enemy. 
W hen a "spy" was captured it meant death. 

Port Royal, South Carolina, proved to be the object- 
ive point of the expedition, and after its capture there was 
found in the tent of the commanding officer at Fort 
Walker, a letter from the rebel secretary of war informing 
him that the enemy's fleet would attack Port Royal with- 
in a few days from the writing. 

When we sailed out upon the ocean from Hampton 
ivoatls, the sea was as smooth as glass, and everything 
delightful. This condition continued until the morning 
of the third day; just at sunrise there was a beautiful 
rainbow, and the old saying, "Rainbow in the morning, 
sailors take warning," proved in this case to he literally 
true; it was reckoned that we were near the treacherous 
Cape Hatteras — this also proved to be true, before night 
the storm came on, and the ship was tossing in the angry 
waves. All the night the fur}' of the storm increased; the 
waves dashing against our ship, shaking it from stem to 
stern, washing over the deck of the vessel, sweeping 
everything movable overboard into the sea, sending the 
spray high above the smokestack. At the commencement 
of the storm I thought the best place for me would be 
my berth in the stateroom, and found my place there, as 
did most of those who occupied the cabin. A storm at 
sea is an experience never to be forgotten; unless one has 
good control of the nerves, the breaking of every wave 
over the ship, the creaking of the vessel as though it 
would be torn asunder, and c\-ery miusual noise sends 
through him the terrors of death. A tremendous lurch 
of the ship broke the fastenings to a pile of baggage 
udiich had l)een piled in the center of the cabin, and sent 
it tossing from side to side of the ship, endangering the 
lixes of those who happened to be near; about the same 
time, the dead-light, so called, in the stern of the vessel. 

49 



RKMINISrEXCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

Nvhich is a little round window of very heavy glass, was 
broken in bv the force of the waves, and there came pour- 
ing into the cabin, whenever the vessel was down ni the 
trough of the sea, a stream of water of large dimensions. 
Bedding was seized, and when the ship was on the crest 
of a wave, this material was crowded into the openmg 
until the carpenter could make repairs. 

Great excitement reigned, not only in the cabin, but 
through the whole ship, and in the forwar.l part of the 
vessel where the men were quartered, there was a panic 
and confusion bordering upon pandemonium. Above the 
roar of the storm voices of hundreds of men could be 
heard, some were praying, many were swearing, alto- 
gether it was a most exciting and dangerous situation. 
All this came to me while lying in my berth in my state- 
room. I do not think I was either greatly excited or 
alarmed. Mv recollection is that I was wholly absorbed 
in the "throe's" of sea-sickness, and the fate of the vessel 
to me was of verv little moment. 

Colonel John C. Linehan, who was then a member 
of our regimental band, and an occupant of one of the 
bunks in the forward part of the ship, tells this of his ex- 

])crience : 

"The hour was late when I turned in. I believe 1 
would have staved on deck all night if it had been pos- 
sible. One of tiie poor fellows by my side was quite sick, 
and one was already in a high fever, at times out of his 
head. He was only a boy of 17. and it was pitiful to hear 
him call in his delirium for his mother; at other times he 
would burst out singing the hymns he had so often sung 
at home. One in particular he was forever smgmg, 
'Greenville' and I never hear it now but the whole 
scene, like a picture, is brought to my view— the bunks, 
three high, each having two occupants, with an alley be- 
tween, and completely tilling the space between decks, the 
dim lights, the foul air. the pitching of the vessel, the 

50 



SHERMAN EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL 

creaking- of the timbers, the clank of the machinery, the 
chaffing and joking of the well and the complaints of the 
unfortunate sea-sick, or the moans of the poor fever- 
stricken boy in the hospital by my side. Above moans of 
the sea-sick, the roar of the waves, which was frightful, 
and the regular clank of the machinery, which was ever 
at work, arose that voice singing 'Greenville.' 

"Hours went on, and the danger was over, but sleep 
was out of the question; the old familiar sounds of 
the tempest, the, creaking of timbers and the steady mo- 
notonous action of the machinery was still heard, but 
something was missing. I turned around and faced the 
bunk on which the singer was lying, but his voice was 
stdl; I raised myself up on my elbow and by the dim 
light of the binnacle I could see his pale white face and 
outstretched arms, dead; his troubles were over, and 
'Greenville' is never heard, but the memories of that 
terrible night are brought fresh to my mind." 

The fury of the storm was unabated through two 
nights and a day; the morning of the third day came with 
a clear sky, but with a rolling sea; the waters gradually 
calmed during the day, but the fleet was scattered, a few 
vessels, not more than five or six, were in sight at sun- 
rise on that morning. The order of the commander was 
to turn about the ship and retrace our way, to find, if 
possible, some of the missing ships, and to render aid to 
any that might be disabled. 

We soon sighted a vessel with their flag Union 
down, which told of distress and needed help. We found 
it to be the "Mayflower," which had become disabled and 
was at the mercy of the sea. After great difficulty, we 
took it in tow. 

It was a tremendous storm, three of the vessels of 
the fleet went to the bottom of the sea, fortunately they 
were supply ships rather than transports. One of the 



53 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

vessels was driven ashore on the coast of North Carolina, 
and the whole crew were taken prisoners by the enemy. 

After taking' the "Maytlower" in tow, uiir slii]) turned 
again southward and arrived at the entrance of Port Roy- 
al harbor on the afternoon of November 4, where we 
found (juite a number of the ships of the fleet had already 
arrived. The report that the whole fleet was lost, as 
printed in the newspapers, carried dismay throughout the 
North, and was received by the South with great rejoic- 
ing. Port Royal is one of the largest harbors on the 
coast, and on the evening- of the tifth. the whole fleet that 
had survived the storm was anchored at the entrance, 
well out or range of the enemy's guns. 

A good story of our Chaplain Hill was told me by an 
eye-witness and is worth repeating: 

It was the chaplain's first experience on the ocean. 
He was not only terribly frightened, but also very sea- 
sick. The first day of the storm he stayed on deck the 
livelong day, afraid to go below, hanging on to any object 
he could grasp, for dear life. Things looked pretty blue 
to him, and after a tremendous wave had drenched him 
from head to foot, he groped his way to the captain of 
the ship, who was ever at his post. "O, captain," said he, 
"this is terrible. Do you really believe we're going to 
pull through?" The captain assured him in a soothing 
voice that we would and told him not to be alarmed, for 
all w^ould be right in the end. Feeling encouraged, he 
went back to his corner, only to return again to the cap- 
tain, more alarmed than ever, for the vessel pitched fear- 
fully, and he repeated the same question. This time the 
captain took him by the arm and escorted him to the for- 
ward part of the vessel ; stopping at the forecastle and 
lifting the cover, he told the chaplain to stoop and listen. 
He did so, and in a moment he raised his head with a 
look of horror on his face. "Captain," he said, "this is 
dreadful, to think of those men almost on the verge of 

54 



sherma:; expedition to port royal 

eternit}' and swearing like demons." He had Ijeen listen- 
ing to the sailors off dnty, in their quarters. "Now, 
chaplain," said the captain, "these men have followed the 
sea for years. Do you suppose if their experience led 
them to believe there was danger, they would be swear- 
ing like that." "Ah!" said the chaplain expressively, and 
unconsciously, his face shortened, in fact, he almost 
smiled. He returned to his post feeling better. 

There was a lull in the storm, l)ut for a short time 
only. Again the wind roared and the vessel pitched, and 
the chaplain this time groped his way alone to the fore- 
castle. Reaching there he stooped, and again listened to 
what was going on below, and raising his hands with a 
look of relief on his face, he was overheard to murmur 
to himself, "Thank God, thev are still swearing." 



!n> 




CAWI5TER 



57 



CHAPTER V. 



The Battle of Port Royal — Capture of Forts Walker and 

Beauregard. 

■'"' E had now been nearly three weeks on board 




^^^ the transports, and the rations were gettincr de 
cidedly poor. The drinking water was the 
worst of all; we had had nothing but sea water 
distilled, for nearly a week, and this we only drank from 
necessity, it was a vile tasting drink. The hard-tack 
and coffee was all right, lint the meats issued to the men 
were limited to salt pork and salt beef, the beef particularly 
was practically unfit to eat. the boys called it "salt-horse ;'' 
we fared very little better in the cabin. At this time we 
knew nothing of canned goods, except in a limited way. 

The transports were anchored something less than 
three miles from the nearest rebel forts, which could be 
plainly seen on both sides of the entrance to the harbor, 
and beyond the reach of their guns. The guns in those 
days, with which the forts upon the coast and our war- 
ships were armed, were quite dififerent from the modern 
rifles of today. The largest of the guns upon the A\^abash 
were the lo-inch Columbiard, and there were l)ut two 
rifle-guns in the whole fleet, these were 30-pound Parrots, 
nor did the enemy have any advantage in this particular. 

It may not be very well known, but it is a fact, that 
today our whole coast from Maine to California is de- 
fended by modern forts, with modern disappearing guns, 
the most modern of the forts being so constructed that 
they can not be seen by an enemy, the slope having the 
appearance of a lawn, the enemy's shot striking the fort, 

59 



iti':.\iiMS('i-;.\("i.:s lU-' -riii': w.vit oi' thk kkijklijon 

i;ianccs olT willidul nialcvial daiiiai^c. 'I lie niachincry of 
the largest of our !L;'tins is soiiietliinL;- wonderful and in- 
teresting; a miniature railway runs from the magazine of 
the fort to the gun, carrying the i,ooo pound shell, which 
is easih- placed in the breech of the gun, then the breech 
is closed and the gun is ready for action. A wheel that 
could be easily operated by a child, carries the gun, 
weighing many tons, upward above the parapet into po- 
sition, ready to ])e tired; the recoil of the gun, when fired, 
carries it back and down out of sight of the enemy. This 
is what is called a "disappearing gun." The largest of 
these guns carry a shell weighing i,ooo pounds, from 12 
to 20 miles. 

The plan of the attack was for the navy to first re- 
duce the forts, the army then to land and complete the 
work of capture and occupation. A fleet of three or more 
small rebel gun-boats, under command of Commodore 
Tatnall, made its appearance in the upper harbor, on the 
afternoon of the 4th, and opened fire upon the Bienville, 
one of our gun-boats. The firing had no effect wdiat- 
€ver, the range falling far short. The Bienville was the 
fastest vessel in our fleet, it returned the fire and gave 
chase to Tatnall's ships. Commodore Tatnall conclud- 
ing not to sink the Federal fieet, turned about and es- 
caped uj) the river. 

It appears from the rebel accounts of the operations, 
that Commodore Tatnall's ambition was to get by our 
navv wMth his "mosquito fleet," as it was afterwards 
named, and sink our transports. During the day of the 
6th several of the warships sailed up into the harbor for 
a reconnoisance, to get the range of the enemy's guns. 

The main attack was to be made upon the following 
day, the troops upon the transports anxiously waiting the 
attack. About it o'clock in the forenoon of the 7th, the 
warships moved up. led by the Wabash, followed by the 
frigates Susquehanna, I'ienville. IMohican, Seneca, Sem- 

60 



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ATTACK UPON PORT ROYAL. 

inole, Curlew, Pawnee, Penquin, Unadilla, Augusta, Otta- 
wa. Peni])ina, Isaac Smith and Vandalia, in succession, 
every one stripped for action, every sailor at his post, as 
they moved up into line. 

Every vessel of the fleet of transports was alive with 
soldiers watching the movements. The boys not satisfied 
with the view from the deck, climbed into the rigging 
of the ships for a better view, on to and into every avail- 
able spot, from bow-sprit to paddle-box, up to the mast 
head, like a swarm of bees, 20,000 spectators: was there 
ever such an audience watching such a drama ? I was 
fortunate in having the use of field glasses, something 
which the of^cers only were supposed to nave. 

The w^arships move up in the direction of Fort 
Beauregard, on Bay Point, at the right of the entrance. 
Wg see the white smoke belch forth from the Wabash, 
then comes the booming of a gun. then another, and an- 
other in quick succession. It was the supreme moment 
with the boys upon the transports watching the result of 
the movement. Every eye was strained to see the effect 
of the first shot, and when the booming of the guns came 
rolling over the water, and the explosion of the shells 
that could be seen over the Fort, a shout went up from 
the whole fleet. The other warships following the 
Wabash, opened in succession, as they reached the van- 
tage point opposite the Fort ; no stop was made, the 
AVabash in the lead moved on past Fort Beauregard 
keeping up the fire from every gun upon the firing side of 
the ship, circling around across the harbor, down past 
Fort Walker, opening guns also by broadside upon this 
Fort, the other ships following in succession, so round and 
round in a circle they moved, and as each ship came op- 
posite the Fort on both sides, poured a volley of shot and 
shell into the enemy's works. The enemy's guns replied 
as best they could. The flag upon Fort Walker went 
down, shot away by well directed aim. It was thought 

'63 



t{i<;.Mi.\is('i':.\('i';s oi' 'in 



WAli (.)K THK REBELLION 





llie I'orl had siirrciulcrcd, and clu'cr after clieer went up 
thronghout the tleet, l)ut socn the llai;- made its a])pear- 
ance again, placed there Ijy some daring successor of 
Sergeant Jasper at ]Moultry, of Revolutionary fame. All 
this we could plainly see from the deck of our vessel. 
Willi the glass we coidd see the guimers at work in the 
rebel Fort. At times the heavy clouds of smoke from our 
guns, and the dust raised by the bursting shell, would al- 
most totally hide the 
view. The roaring of 
the cannonading was 
so great that it was 
heard at Fernandina, 
75 miles away, a much 
further distance than 
the heaviest thunder 
can be heard. 

It was now past 
12 o'clock and the 
fighting was still go- 
ing on, the dinner- 
call was sounded on 
the ship, but very few 
left their places to go 
to their dinner. About 
I o'clock I went be- 
low for something to 
eat, with others w'ho 
had concluded that 
the right would go on withotit our supervision, and the 
fight did go on. Although our vessels were struck by the 
enemy's shot and shells man\- times there were few cas- 
ualties compared to tlie number engaged. 

With field-glasses. I saw, as others did, one of our 
smaller \essels. which, I think, was a converted ferry 
boat, with a :-ingle gun nionnled upon its decks. mo\e up 

64 



COL. JOHN H. JACKSON 



ATTACK UPON PORT ROYAL. 

from its anchorage, get into position under the bluff, up- 
on the flank of the enemy's works, and open up its single 
gun on the enemy. At this instant we saw one of the 
guns upon Fort Walker go into the air, and left standing 
upon end, disabled and silenced. Whether or not it was 
the gun of this miniature war vessel that silenced the gun, 
it was so thought, and a great shout and cheer went up. 
It was altogether an amusing sight as it was not supposed 
to take part in this battle, but evidently had left its po- 
sition without orders, and stole upon the enemy to give 
them at least one shot. 

We were still watching the progress of the fight, 
when a little before 3 o'clock the firing had practically 
ceased from the rebel forts, nearly all of the rebel guns 
having been disabled. The white flag was seen to go up 
on Fort Walker; this was the signal for surrender, and 
all firing ceased. 

Still watching through the glass we saw a boat low- 
ered from one of the warships, put out and row ashore. 
In a few minutes up went the Stars and Stripes over Fort 
Walker, and for the first time on the sacred soil of South 
Carolina since the firing upon Fort Sumter on April 12, 
1 861. Then the wild shout that went up from the fleet, 
amid the waving of flags, the bands all through the fleet 
joining in the hurrah, and playing the Star Spangled Ban- 
ner, Yankee Doodle and other patriotic airs, knew no 
bounds. It was the greatest sight of one's life, never to 
be forgotten by every soldier who witnessed it. 

The capture of Port Royal was of the greatest im- 
portance in many ways: the whole North had been watch- 
ing with intense interest the results of this expedition, 
and the capture of this important point in the enemy's 
country, sent a thrill of joy and encouragement to every 
loyal heart. It gave us one of the greatest harbors upon 
the coast, affording a base for further operations. By the 
establishing of coal stations, workshops and supply de- 

65 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REP.EI.LION 

pots, it made it |)()ssil)le to maintain what was practi- 
cally an cft'cctive blockade of the whole coast, from 
North Carolina to Florida. 

Orders were immediately s;i\en for the landing;' of 
the troops; the transports weighing anchor one after an- 
other, steamed up into the harbor in the direction of the 
captured forts. 

The enemy had retreated, and the landing was made 
without oppositit)n, although with a great deal of diffi- 
culty, there Ijeing no wharves, and many of the launches 
and boats that had been depended upon for the landing 
of the troops were lost in the storm. 

Our regiment was among the first to land, the ships 
dropping anchor as near the shore as possible, when the 
small boats and launches were brought into use, and be- 
fore night practically the whole Army was landed upon 
the shore. 

The first plan of attack was for the army to co-op- 
erate by landing in surf boats, but this was made impos- 
sible from the loss of so many boats. General Sherman 
had now nothing more to do than to land his troops and 
take possession. The enemy had retreated in great dis- 
order. Many of their dead were found in the forts, and 
all along the roadway across the Island, through the 
fields and woods, were found disabled baggage wagons, 
arms and equipments, and army supplies of all kinds, and 
many dead reloel soldiers, who were killed by our shells, 
when fleeing across the country. 

On the night of the landing we were ordered into 
camp, something less than a mile away, and in a large 
cotton field. The cotton, by the waw was the celebrated 
Sea Island cotton, of tine texture and long tibre, and very 
valuable at that time. The breaking out of w^ar had sent 
the price of cotton sky-rocketing, this Sea Island cotton 
selling at a price something like y^ cents a pound, but it 
proved none too good for the boys to use for their beds 

66 



ATTACK UPON PORT ROYAL. 

that night, the cotton being in just the condition to be 
pi»ked. Acres upon acres of it, and if every man did not 
have a soft bed it was his own fault. We found ourselves 
too, surrounded by immense fields of sweet potatoes and 
peanuts; to say that we luxuriated upon sweet potatoes 
after living for two weeks and more upon the starvation 
diet afforded on ship-board, is stating it mildly. 

It was days before the ships could be unloaded: de- 
tails were made from each regiment to look after their 
own baggage. I was ordered by the adjutant upon the 
special duty of looking after the baggage of the adju- 
tant's ofBce, particularly the records and office supplies, 
all this work being done under the direction of the quar- 
ter-master of each regiment. Going to the landing place 
with our regimental detail, we found the beach for nearly 
a mile strewn with baggage and camp equipage of every 
conceivable kind, which had been unloaded by lighters, 
from supply ships, and the work was still going on. Some 
of the horses and baggage wagons had been landed; the 
horses were unloaded by placing them in a sling, swung 
off from the vessel and dropped into the water, and left to 
their own way of getting ashore. This proved a success, 
each horse swimming until he could touch bottom, when 
men were waiting to capture and lead them ashore. 

Right here there was a happening which may or may 
not be worth telling, but here it is : I had found the bag- 
gage belonging to the adjutant's of^ce, and with my detail 
had loaded it into the baggage wagon, that was well 
down the beach to the water's edge, where we had un- 
loaded from a boat into the wagon: we had one pair of 
horses only, and in attempting to move, it was found that 
the wheels were sunk into the sand, and could not be 
started. The tide was coming in and something must be 
done, and that quicklv. I appealed to the quartermaster, 
when he told me that the only thing to do was to get 
another pair of horses from cam]>. and the camp was 

69 



REIMIXlSCEXrES OF THE WAR < H-^ THE REBELLION 

nearly a mile awav. T ininiediately delachecl one of the 
horses from the xvaoun, Intchin- up the traces and with- 
out takino- ott the harness, mounted the Ik.vsc and starred 
on the dead run for camp. Just hefore reachin- the camp 
one of the traces dropped down, and the horse steppmg 
upon it, fell, ^oing at full speed at the time, 'i he horse 
stopped and I kept on, landing something less than a rod 
beyond, and in the mud. Recovering myself, and f^ndmg 
that I was not much hurt, but covered from head to foot 



^ ' 



K\% I 




T-Tu- (.rTi;vci: rnoM the confkteiutks t..k a scsi'knsk.x 

with South Carolina soil of liquid consistency. I again 
mounted mv horse, which had come to his feet, and soon 
reached camp, succeeded in getting two of the horses 
from the quarter-master-sergeant and returned just m 
time to pull the wagon from the water, which had risen 
above the hubs of the wheels. 

One of our warships that had taken part m the bat- 
tle of the /th. was commanded by Capt. Percival Dray- 
ton of our navv. who was the brother of the rebel gen- 
eral Thomas T. Dravton, who commanded the rebel 
troops we were fighting. There were many instances of 

70 



ATTACK UPON PORT ROYAL. 

this kind throughout this terrific war. In the border 
states, Kansas, Missouri. Tennessee and X'irginia, regi- 
ments \vere organized for ])oth Federal and Rebel arm- 
ies. In the same town there would l)e two camps, one a 
Rel)el camp, and one a Union camp; families were divid- 
ed, some taking up arms for the Union, others for the 
Confederate cause — brother against brother u])on the 
field of battle. Truly, war is the tragedy of all tragedies. 




If /f^ 






-'.'''"'Xi-jj 






^>: 












/I 



CHAPTER VI. 




Camp Life at Hilton Head. 

HE southern coast is made up of islands large 
^,^^ and small; this is especially true of the coast of 
North and South Carolina and Georgia; num- 
erous rivers and creeks running between the 
islands, and interspersed with extensi\e impassable 
swamp lands Hilton Head was one of the largest 
of these islands. loeing about ten miles long and 

five miles wide. We 
had taken possession 
of this and adjacent 
islands, on both sides 
of Port Royal. 

Immediately af- 
ter landing and going' 
into camp, extensixe 
earthworks to i)ro- 
tect our base of o|)- 
erations were or- 
dered l)v General 
Sliernian to ]>e con- 
str\icted, and instead 
of the rifle and l)ay- 
onet. shovels and 
wheelbarrows came 
into actixe and ex- 
tensi\e use ; large de- 
major JOHN BEDEL. tails froui the differ- 

ent regiments were made to do the work, and under the 
direction of the ene"ineers extensive fortifications on this 




72> 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

island and at other points were thrown up. We were 
now in the enemy's conntr}-, but just how near the enemy- 
was not deflnitel}- known, we only knew that \ve had 




driven them 
from this island 
and from Bay Point, 
across the harbor. 
Beaufort, a small town 
several miles up the river, 
had also been taken possession 
of with little opposition, the vil- 
lage having been found deserted 
upon the arrival of our troops, except 
quite a number of negroes and one white 
man, the postmaster. The Fourth N. H. was 
''~" ~ "—'' one of the regiments sent to occupy this place. 

Major 1\. ( ). (Ireenleaf, wh(^ went out as captain of 
the Xashna ct)ni])an\- of the l'^)urtli X. H. regiment, was 
appointed provo-niarshal at Beaufort, holding- the posi- 
tion for sexeral months. 

The \ery next day after our landiuL;". negro slaxes 
came Hocking into our camj:) ])y the liundreds. esca])ing 
from tlieir masters when thev knew of the l.-mdine of 



74 



CAMP LIFE AT HILTON HEAD 

"Linkum sojers," as they called iis, men, women and 
children, of all descriptions and color, from the jet black 
African to those as white as ourselves, many of them with 
no other clothing than gunny-sacks, and the pickaninnies 
as innocent of clothes as the young pigs. These people 
were loaded down with all kinds of household goods, 
carrying everything describable upon their heads — bed- 
ding, furniture, and across their backs, bags holding any- 
thing and everything, sweet potatoes, chickens and small 
pigs, the big negroes sometimes having on their heads an 
inverted table, and piled upon this was a small dray load 
of other goods. This was, and is, habitual with the negro 
in the south — carrying everything upon their heads. 
This was a new and interesting experience for all of us; 
very few, if any, had ever seen slaves, and from their own 
lips we heard the story of their slave life. 

"What are you here for?" we would ask them. 
"\\'hy did you run away from your masters? " 
"Dunno. boss, we's jes' wanted to be free." 
"Well, but didn't your masters treat you well? " 
"Sometimes dey did, boss, but we jes' wanted to be 
free; dey done tole us dat de Yankee sojers had horns 
like de debil, but we didn't belieb um, we knew you were 
de Linkum sojers jes' come down yar to mak' us free." 

There seemed to be an underground telegraph that 
took the news of the arrival of the northern troops to the 
slave population for miles around, and deserting their old 
masters and the plantation, they came into our camp for 
freedom and protection. 

General Hunter, who was assigned to the command 
of the department of the South, to succeed General 
Sherman, issued a proclamation of freedom for the slaves, 
anticipating President Lincoln's proclamation by more 
than one year. For this General Hunter was severely 
reprimanded by the secretary of war. and his proclama- 
tion annulled; but it had gone out and had the effect of 

77 



REMIXIS»"i:X<'ES C»K THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

bringing into camp thousands of these poor people, who 
all through the South were hoping and praying for de- 
liverance by the Union armies. 

About this time General Butler, who was in com- 
mand at Fortress Monroe, was having a similar exper- 
ience, the negroes coming into his camp from the enemy's 
lines. It became for a time quite a serious problem as to 
their disposition. General Butler, with his acute legal 
conception of conditions, decided that the negro being 




A LITTLE AFFAIR AT BLUFFTON. 

the propert}" of the enemy, was, when captured, "contra- 
band of war," and was confiscated to the government; 
hence the name "contraband," was given the Southern 
negro during the conflict. The negro proved to be a 
great help to our armies, working in the trenches, thus 
relieving our boys to an extent, the younger and brighter 
of them as servants for the officers. The negro women 
were also made useful as wash women. The negro also 
became almost indispensable as a nude driver; there al- 
wa\s appeared to be a mutual understanding, a kind of 
an "affinitv." between the nigger and the nude that no 
wliite man could fathom. 

78 



CAMP LIPE AT HILTON HEAD 

We were fast getting the cotton fields in shape for 
our camps and drill grounds. Our time now became 
chiefly occupied with routine camp duties: daily drills 
were in order, both Company and Battalion, and under 
the superior direction of Colonel Fellows, the regiment 
became a remarkably well drilled and disciplined organi- 
zation. 

I do not know that I have made clear the meaning 
of military discipline. The army to l)e efi'ective must be 
under arbitrary, and it may be called, despotic rule, ev- 
ery movement is by command of the superior officer; the 
military life is in every detail directed by military author- 
ity, every command must be obeyed. There is a vast 
dift'erence between the commissioned officer and the en- 
listed man. The "enlisted man" means privates and non- 
commissioned officers. It can thus he seen that military 
rule is a despotism, and necessarily so; the officers of our 
army are made nabobs and autocrats of our government. 
The real and only aristocracy of this country is to be 
found with the commissioned officers of our army and 
navy. The pay of an officer is much larger than that of 
the enlisted man, his uniform must be superior, his quart- 
ers are always better, and better provided for in e^■ery 
w^ay, he is furnished with servants to do all the menial 
work; the life is far removed from civil life; it is unnat- 
ural, although necessarily so, as long as armies are neces- 
sary. 

I was still a private in Compau}' \\ l)ut with and)i- 
tion to become Sergeant-Major of the regiment. The 
Sergeant-Major, as has been explaijied, is an assistant to 
the adjutant and associated with him in the adjutant's 
office. I felt that I had learned the office duties of Ser- 
geant-Major. In the field his duties are also to assist the 
adjutant in the formation of the regiment for drill, and in 
the exolutions of the drill ; he is also an imjxirtant factor 
in the ceremon\' of guard-mounting. The Sergcant-.\la- 

79 



UKMIXISCENCES OF THE WAR OK THE REBELLION 

jor ranks liii^hcst of the non-commissioned officers, and is 
in dii-ecl line of promotion to a commissioned officer. 

Tlie adjntant of the regiment, Adjutant Hill, had 
seen ser\ ice in the Mexican War, a very good officer, but 
getting along in years, and somewhat addicted to con- 
vivialities. It was his practice, as it was with many other 
officers of the regiment, to visit the officers of other reg- 
iments and to have what they called "a good time," of 
course in a ^vay that would not over-reach too much the 
discipline of the camp. Upon his return one day from 
the camp of the regiment next to our own, he missed 
some article of clothing, and unable to find it he ques- 
tioned me. I told him that I knew nothing about it. it 
not being, as 1 understood, in my line of duty to look 
after his clothing. He spoke in a way that struck me 
rather harshly, and I may have been rather short in my 
reply to him, when in a very imperious way he said: 

''I want you to understand that when I am away you 
are to look after my things." 

T was aroused with indignation, and said: "Mr. Ad- 
jntant. I want you to understand that I wnll not look after 
your things, that T am not your nigger; I am a clerk in 
this office and not your servant." 

To him this reply was rank treason, and not having 
fully recovered, I think, from the effects of an excess of 
"spirits fermenti." with an oath he says. "You go back to 
\our company, sir, and report to the captain for duty in 
the ranks." 

T was crying with rage and indignation, and I have 
no doubt that 1 used insubordinate language. I remem- 
ber of telling him 1 would go back to my company, and 
much preferred doing duty in the ranks, than being in his 
office. 1 immediately gathered up my baggage, which 
consisted of a knap-sack and contents, and went with it 
to the tent of C"aptain Ixandlett, and re])()rte(l to him that 
1 had been st'ut back to the company to go into the ranks. 

8o 



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CAMP LIFE AT HILTON HEAD 

After telling the captain the story of the trouble he said 
that he had work for me in his own office, and that I 
would not go into the ranks. 

This trouble I thought had come to me at an un- 
fortunate time; it was understood that the Sergeant-Ma- 
jor was soon to be promoted, and a new Sergeant-Major 
appointed, and my hopes were dashed. Captain Rand- 
lett, however, thought something could be done, and 
went to the colonel to lay the matter before him, but 
when he made known his business, that he came in the 
interests of young Copp, the colonel in a peremptory wav 
said very emphatically, "I don't want to hear anything 
about it," repeating, "I don't want to hear anything about 
it." The captain returning to his tent, reported to m^ the 
result of his visit. Of course. I was obliged to accept the 
situation, and settled down to work in mv new position. 

It was within a very short time from this occurence 
that the commission of Second Lieutenant came to Ser- 
geant-Major Jackson, leaving the position open as I w:i3 
forced to think, for someone else than mvself. 

It appears that a few days later Adjutant Hill went 
into the colonel's tent to see him relative to fillinsr the 
position, the Adjutant saying to Colonel Fellows, "T sup- 
pose we must appoint a new Sergeant-Major." "^^''ell," 
the colonel says, "who do you want appointed?" "T have 
a name here, sir," he savs. and handed to the colonel the 
name of one of his favorite sergeants. The colonel looked 
at the name and said very emphatically: 

"No, bv godfrev, that isn't the man. I have a young 
man myself to fill that position." 

"And who is it ? " the adjutant asks. 

"It is young Copp, and you fill out a warrant for 
him." The adjutant was dumfoimded and commenced 
to tell the colonel of my insubordination, when the col- 
onel with very strong emphasis says to the adjutant: 

83 



REMINISCENCES OP" THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



"I don't want to hear anything about it," and re- 
peating, he said, "I don't want to liear anything about it." 

and he did not need 
to hear about it. 
His tent being very 
near and next to the 
adjutant's tent he 
had heard the whole 
conversation between 
the adjutant and my- 
self at the time I was 
ordered to return to 
my company to do 
duty in the ranks. 

The next day I 
had the satisfaction 
of "bearding the lion 
in his den;" returning 
to the adjutant's tent 
with my warrant as 
sergeant-major; you 
may be sure that I 
did not receive a very 
SERGT. -MAJOR E. J. copp. warm welcome, but I 

was not intimidated, knowing how well fortified I was in 
my position. I attended strictly to my business, and no 
further trouble occurred. The only danger was an abnor- 
mal expansion of my pride in my new position, my grati- 
fication in receiving this promotion was greater than in 
all of my other promotions during my service. It was 
something to develop all the conceit that is latent ni 
most boys of that age. I think, however, that I stood the 
test very well, and have the satisfaction of knowing that 
I received only commendation from my superior officers 




84 



CHAPTER VII. 




Camp and Picket Guard — The Long Roll 

HE camp and picket guard are of the greatest 
importance; the safety of an army in the field 
depends upon the efficiency of the picket guard 
in preventing a surprise by the enemy; this 
guard, under the command of proper officers is estab- 
lished at a distance from camp varying with 
conditions, and the distance from the enemy's lines, 
frequently the picket guard of our own army and that of 
the enemy are in sight of each other, sometimes a friend- 
ly truce is established between the pickets, so that 
neither side will fire upon the other; occasionally social 
courtesies were shown, commenced by one of the pick- 
ets waving his handkerchief as a flag of truce, and some 
one from the other side would approach, and soon there 
would be a group of the Blue and the Gray fraternizing 
and exchanging coffee and tobacco, newspapers, etc., 
but more frequently the life of the picket guard depend- 
ed upon his alertness in keeping himself out of sight by 
the protection of trees or stumps and by temporary 
earthworks thrown up. 

It was the practice of General Grant to make fre- 
quent inspections along the line — in his memoirs he tells 
of riding out one day at Chickamauga, accompanied only 
by an orderly. As he approached one of our picket posts 
the sentry cried out, as was his duty,"Turn out the Guard, 
the Commanding General." General Grant replied, as is 
always the custom when the guard is not to be inspected, 
or the officer wishes to waive the ceremony, "Never 

89 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

mind the Guard," and he rode on but a short distance, 
when from across the creek he heard a sentinel cry out. 
"Turn out the Guard, General Officer." Looking, he saw 
a short distance from the brink of the stream, and in the 
woods, soldiers in gray uniform — a rebel picket post. The 
guard immediately turned out and gave the customary 
salute. General Grant returned the salute and rode on. 

The camp guard is a line of sentinels established 
around each camp ; each sentinel has instructions to move 
along an established line from point to point, turning 
and retracing his steps over the same ground, and if in- 
structions are followed each sentinel turns at the same 
time, and all march in the same direction. 

Sentinels are to obey the instructions of the com- 
mander of the guard, his instructions being received 
from the colonel commanding the regiment, who in turn 
receives instructions from his superior officer. The in- 
structions vary according to conditions; the general duty, 
however, of the camp guard is to permit no soldier to 
pass in or out of the camp without a written pass in the 
day time, and a countersign at night, the countersign be- 
ing a secret word, usually the name of some battle. The 
countersign is issued daily by the commander-in-chief and 
sent by couriers to the several headquarters of the com- 
mand. 

How well I remember that little three-cornered, fold- 
ed, sealed document, in which form it always came, and 
handed to me every morning when I was adjutant of the 
regiment. The countersign is only communicated to the 
commanding officers and the officer of the guard and the 
sentinels, except when permission is given to pass in and 
out of camp after dark, and then communicated only in a 
whisper, never aloud. 

A recruit, who had never before been on guard, was 
posted at an important point, and the enemy were in 
our front. The countersign was "Pocotaligo." The in- 

90 



CAMP AND PICKET GUARD— THE LONG ROLL 

structions were carefully given to the recruit, who, by the 
way, was a young Irishman. The officer in giv- 
ing instructions, said to him, "Upon hearing any noise 
you must challenge by saying "Who goes there?" and if 
the reply is "A friend with the countersign," you must 
say in reply, "Advance friend, and give the countersign;" 
and if he advances and says "Pocotaligo" you must let 
him pass. If you get no reply, you must challenge once 
more, and then if you get no reply, and 
the noise is in the direction o^ the enemy 
you must fire in that direction." It being the duty of the 
ofhcer of the guard to keep the sentinels on the alert, vis- 
its are made from time to time through the night, each 
sentinel challenging as the officer approaches. Ihe officer 
then gives the countersign and passes on. 

In this case the officer of the guard approached our 
young recruit, in the darkness of the night, who, true to 
his instructions, immediately challenged. 

"Who goes there ? " 

The officer replied, "A friend with the countersign." 

The sentinel, without waiting for further ceremony, 
said in a loud and excited tone, "Advance, and say "Poco- 
taligo quick, or I'll blow your d d head off." 

It is unnecessary to say that the officer immediately 
advanced and gave the countersign. 

Through the fall of 1861 and through the winter until 
April, no movements of importance were made by the 
army in the department of the south. The time was oc- 
cupied by drills, the strengthening of our position by ex- 
tensi\'e earthworks, and the accumulation of large sup- 
plies for the army. Storehouses were built with lumber 
cut from the forests upon the island, hv portal)le saiw- 
mills shipped from the north. Captain Plimpton of our 
regiment, who understood all about saw-mills, directed 
the work of the first mill that was erected; the men who 
(lid the work were soldiers from the ranks who had 

9T 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



been mill men at home. This was true in the operations 
of the army through the war, that in everything that was 
necessary to do, men were found among the soldiers who 
could do it; buildings to be erected, there were carpenters 
to do this; railroads that had been torn up, there were 
men who could relay the track; locomotives and cars 
that had been damaged or partly destroyed, were re- 
paired and placed upon the track again in shape for use, 
and engineers were found who could run the trains; 
bridges to be built, there were bridge builders who knew 
how to do it, and did do it in hundreds of instances. 

This condition of things, which proved so valuable 
to our commanding generals, existed also in the Rebel 

army to an extent, 
but in no other army 
in the world. 

The lumber used 
in building our store- 
houses and barracks, 
was from magnifi- 
cent hard pine trees 
growing upon the is- 
land, from 12 to 24 
inches in diameter, 
and from 60 to 100 
feet tall lumberwhich 
commanded a large 
price in the northern 
market. Wharves 

were also built, build- 
ings also for the ne- 
groes, who were with 
us by the thousand, 
one story, and for va- 
A chapel was built in 




COL. JOSIAH I. PLIMPTON. 

Buildings of all kinds, mostly of 
rious purposes were constructed. 



which services were held each Sunday. 

92 



CAMP AND PICKET GUARD— THE LONG ROLL 

Sutlers who follow the army, soon established them- 
selves here ; a row of one story buildings was built for their 
use; this street was named by the soldiers "Robbers 
Row." Almost everything was kept by the sutlers for 
sale, and in many cases the boys were too ready to part 
with their money for things they did not need, and 
sometimes at prices that were exorbitant. The sutlers 
were not all robbers, I knew of some who were respon- 
sible business men. It was understood that they all 
made a good deal of money in this business. The late 
Henry Stearns, of Nashua, who was a nephew of Gen. 
John G. Foster, at one time in command of the depart- 
ment of the South, had a golden opportunity through the 
appointment by General Foster that gave him a monop- 
oly of trade, and accumulated quite a fortune. 

It will be remembered by some that the hoop s.kirt 
for ladies was in common use at the time of the war, the 
styles changing from time to time, and as I remember, 
gradually less in dimensions. Some of the Hilton Head 
sutlers bought large invoices of the obsolete, out of style 
hoop skirts, many of them of the largest size, and sold 
them to the negro women, who had begun to get a con- 
ception of improving their appearance by dresses and 
ribbons of high color; their appearance can better be im- 
agined than described. Some of the women of very 
large dimensions, with hoop skirts from three to four 
feet in diameter, under a calico dress, and often in bare 
feet, was something very ludicrous. 

Fleas ! My, but the fleas were something terrible — 
sand fieas, the very worst of all insect pests. I have 
been walking along through the sand and the front of 
my light blue trousers would be streaked in black with 
fleas, and the good time they were having on the other 
side of the cloth can be imagined. Another pest we had 
to contend with was the wood-tick, a little ravenous 
beast, something the appearance of and about the size of 

93 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

a bed bug". When the boys were asleep upon the ground 
ihcy would burrow and bury themselves under the skin, 
producing uncomfortable sores. There were many things 
the soldiers suffered from, besides the enemy's bullets; 
the malaria arising from the southern swamps, the in- 
tense heat of the southern sun, impure drinking water, 
causing disease and death, exceeding the casualties of 
battle. 

In our camp at Hilton Head, every company had its 
well, by digging through the sand to a depth of from 
four to six feet, empty barrels would be inserted, and the 
well was complete, wdth plenty of water; although 
brakish to the taste it was not as bad as we were fre- 
quently obliged to use in our later campaigns. 

The supplying of the army with rations in an active 
campaign, the troops moving from point to point, march- 
ing and fighting, was a most difficult proposition, calling 
for great executive ability on the part of the officers of 
the commissary and quartermaster departments, and the 
greatest courage and energy of those in command of the 
supply trains. 

We had not yet gone into the active campaigning 
that came later, we were now having, practically, a pic- 
nic so far as rations were concerned. When in camp as 
we were at Hilton Head, it was a simple matter; regular 
cooks for each company were detailed with the neces- 
sary assistants. 

The bo3^s of old Company F will always remember 
Nat Willard, the company cook — genial, kindly, old Nat. 
We thought he was old then, for he was nearly 40 
years of age — always cheerful, always accommodating. 
In some cases a regular cook house was built, with some- 
thing of the convenience of a kitchen. 

At the regular hour fixed bv general orders, the 
breakfast, dinner and supper calls were sounded upon 
the drum or the bugle, when the men would "fall in," and 

94 



CAMP AND PICKET GUARD— THE LONG ROLL. 

this was a call that the boys never failed to hear and re- 
spond to most promptly. They would form in line in the 
company street and march to the cook-house, each man 
with his tin plate and dipper, and the rations dealt out 
to them by the cook upon the plate and coffee poured 
into their individual tin cups, the men returning to their 
tent, or to any convenient place to eat their rations. 

The rations furnished by the government were gen- 
erally of the most substantial kind, coffee and hard-tack 
and pork always, and when possible, baked beans : some- 
times soup when the meat could be had. All this was 
supplemented with what the country might furnish in the 
way of beef, chickens, etc. The beans were cooked in 
the ground; large holes dug two or three feet in depth, 
more or less, and stones, when they could be had, put in 
the bottom of the hole, a fire then built in the hole to 
heat the stones and the ground, allowed to burn until the 
wood was reduced to coal, then the beans in a large iron 
kettle, put into the holes, carefully covered and the dirt 
then shoveled in ; there they remained for several hours, 
sometimes all night, until thoroughly cooked. Those 
who have eaten beans cooked in this way have only one 
opinion — that they excel everything in the line of baked 
beans. 

Upon the march the usual ration was hard-tack and 
coffee and salt pork, every man taking- his own rations 
in his haversack, three days' rations being about the 
limit. He would have in the corner of that haversack 
his coffee and a little sugar for his coft'ee. A halt would 
be made for rations and each man or a squad of men 
would build a fire and from his canteen would pour a 
little water into his tin cup, and make his coffee over the 
fire; cut a stick, whittling it to a point, put on a piece of 
pork and broil it over the fire ; this with the hard-tack 
must satisfy his appetite. Frequently there was a va- 
riety when the boys could capture a chicken or a pig, and 

95 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



occasionally fresh beef would be issued by the commis- 
sary, when the country afforded it, and the beef cooked 
in the same way as the pork. Some of the boys would 
carry along a frying pan and with this he could furnish 
himself with genuine luxuries in the way of cooking. 

In the matter of rations, the question has sometimes 
been asked if the ofificers fared any better than the men. 
It is true that the officer had better food at times 1)ut he 
had to pay for the difference, and it was not always that 
the officer secured anything bettor than the army ration. 






f I' 




^_; ^^ 



.j^/ 



A HASTY MEAL. 

In an active campaign, the company officers, captain and 
lieutenant, and frequently the field officers, had to sat- 
isfy themselves with the army rations. The general of- 
ficers, whose headquarters must be something to the rear 
of the firing line, would have a regular mess, maintained 
by cooks and men detailed for this purpose. 

At the headquarters of every camp guard, there was 
always a drummer on duty. When there is a sudden 

96 



CA.MF' A.\l> I'H'KIOT GUARD— THE) LONG ROLL, 

attack l)y the enemy, which ahnost im-ariably occurs in 
the night, the long roll would be beaten upon the drum; 
this was the signal for every man to turn out with his 
ritle and cartridge box, and get into line in the shortest 
possible time. 

Everything had been cjuiet in our camp at Hilton 
Head for quite a time, when, suddenly, about midnight, 
the long roll was beaten. Firing on the picket line could 
l)e heard and the whole camp was aroused. Colonel 
Jackson, who' was a very impetuous man, was among the 
first to make his appearance, and with sword in hand, 
rushed up and down the camp, urging the men to get in- 
to line. When passing the street of Company F, a boy, 
.whose narne I do not recall, stuck his head out of the 
tent opening and cried out, "Colonel, Colonel, shall we 
put on our dress coats or blouses ? " This boy never 
heard the last of "dress coats and blouses." 

The firing proved to be the accidental discharge of 
a rifle, followed by a fusilade along the whole line. 

The most important event in camp, watched for 
and longed for by every one, was the arrival of the mail 
jfrom the north. The receiving of news from the dear 
ones at home cheered many a homesick boy, and could 
the value of those letters have been better known by the 
|)eople at home, more frequent and longer letters would 
have been written. The steamers from the north were 
watched for daily, and when the mail arrived in camp, 
the crowd around the chaplain's tent, who was the post- 
master of the regiment, sometimes had the appearance of 
a mob. 



97 



CHAPTER Vlll. 



CAPTURE OF FORT PULASKI. 

Campaigning on the Mud Islands of the Savannah River. 

ilir ^^^^ capture of Port Royal was followed by the 
'V^^ abandonment of every village and practically 
^^ r every house on the coast from Charleston to 
Florida except Savannah. The people of this 

cit\' felt secure under the protection of Fort Pulaski. This 
fort was at the mouth of the Savannah River and about 
1 8 miles from Savannah. The fort was situated upon Cock- 
spur Island surrounded by impenetrable swamps. 

The problem of the capture of Fort Pulaski was 
early considered by General Sherman after our landing at 
Port Royal. The enforcement of the blockade, the cap- 
ture of Charleston, "that hot-bed of secession," and Sa- 
vannah were tlie real objects of the expedition, and with 
Port Royal for a base of operations. 

Early in April Capt. Ouincy A. Gilmore of the regular 
army and u])on the staff, had been promoted by General 
Sherman to brigadier-general, and at the head of the en- 
gineer corps. Under instructions of General Sherman, 
General Gilmore made a reconnoissance, and reported 
that he thought Fort Pulaski could be reduced by bat- 
teries erected on Tybee Island, about two miles and one- 
half from the fort. This idea was scouted by General 
Totten, chief engineer of the U. S. army at ^^'ashington. 
Such a thing had never been done, but General Sherman 
ordered General Gilmore to go ahead with siege opera" 
tions 

99 • 



REMIXISCEXCl!:S OF THE WAR OF THE REKEIJ.IOX 



The first move was the capture of Tybee Island by a 
brigade under Colonel, later Major General Alfred H. 
Terry and with very little opposition. Other islands near 
the mouth of the Savannah river, including Dawfuskie 
and Bird Island were also to be occupied and batteries 
erected there to co-operate with the batteries upon Ty- 
bee Island. 

Our regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Jackson, 
Col. Fellows was now in command of the post, embarked 

early one morning 
with the destination 
understood to be 
Dawfuskie Island. I 
said we embarked 
early in the morning 
my recollection is 
that we had quite a 
march across Hilton 
Head Island, leaving 
the camp early in the 
morning, and I think 
taking boats at Sea- 
brook, a landing place 
and small collection 
of houses on the west 
side of Hilton Head 
Island. It was prob- 
GEN. QuiNCY A. GiLMORE. ably latc in the after- 

noon before we were really on our way in the boats down 
the creek, for darkness soon came on, and long before we 
reached the landing place. 

Navigation along the numerous creeks was no easy 
matter. I've always remembered the names of some of 
those creeks — Skull Creek, Saints' Rest, Strawberry 
Bank, and Pull-and-be-damned, were among the most 
euphonious; the boys thought the last was \vell named. 

lOO 




CAPTURE OF FORT PULASKI 

In the darkness some of the boats got lost in the 
maze of small islands. I was in one that got out of its 
course. Suddenly from the woods on the shore came the 
f^ash and the report of rifles. At the same instant the 
zip-zip and singing of bullets over our heads, one strik- 
ing the bow of the boat. The fire was returned, and the 
order given to pull back, not knowing what we were get- 
ting into. The firing soon ceased, and nobody hurt. We 
made our wa}- 1)ack quite a distance through another 
channel, finall}' finding the main body of our regiment. 

The colonel being in doubt as to just where we 
might be, ordered a landing. A\'e were soon all ashore, 
and preparations were made for a bivouac for the night. 
Pickets were thrown out to guard the camp. We made 
ourselves as comfortable as possible, although a drench- 
ing rain came on in the night. At daylight on the fol- 
lowing morning, we were ordered to our boats again, 
and moved on. 

AVe soon approached the little town of Bluffton on 
the main land, supposed to be occupied by the enemy. 
The approach was made cautiously, expecting to meet 
with resistance. We landed, however, without opposi- 
tion, a little distance from the town. The negro guide 
told the colonel that there was a rebel picket upon a cer- 
tain point of land and a detachment was ordered to make 
a detour, and cut off this outpost. My recollection is 
that it was two companies under the command of Captain 
Plimpton. I asked permission to go with the detach- 
ment. 

We moved on through a wood road for a mile or 
so, in the direction of the outpost. Coming into an open- 
ing, we saw across the fields, three or four men in rebel 
uniforms running, who proved to be the men of the 
picket post attempting to escape. The captain ordered 
a halt, and directed that twelve men l^e detailed to head 
oft' the escape and capture the men. 

lOI 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR oi' THE REBELLION 

It was one of the \ery few times wc had seen llie 
eneiiu' and all were stirred with intense excitement. I 
was \ery anxions to ha\e a hand in the capture, and 
asked the captain if 1 coidd g'o too. He replied, "Yes," 
and we were off and o\er the fence in the direction of 
the retreating" enemy. I was (piite a s|)rinter and got 
ahead of the other men, and the rebels seeing our coming 
stopped. 1)rought their rifles to an aim, l)ut this did not 
deter me. Fool like and practicall}' alone, being far in 
advance of the other men, with my revolver in hand, 1 
approached them at a rapid rate; why they did not fire 
is a mystery. Coming to within a few rods of them, they 
dropped their rifles and burst into a loud laugh, but just 
wdiat the}- were laughing at 1 couldn't see at that time, but 
xiewed from this distance it surely was a ludicrous i)ic- 
ture — a small l)oy of 17 years approaching four full- 
grown rebels, with his re\'ol\-er against four rifles. But 
soon the detachment behind me arrived and the enemy 
surrendered unconditionalh'. Afterwards upon ex'amin- 
ing m}' revolver, I found that it refused to go, having 
had a soaking the night before in our bi\-ouac on the 
island, and that re\-olver has not been flred to this day. 
It remains loaded and is among my war relics. 

The four men captured proved to be cpiite human, 
and interesting in their rebel outfits, the uniform of but- 
ternut color and their arms not indike our own — the 
first of the enemy we had seen and talked with — one was 
quite tall, over six feet, I should say. I remember of ex- 
changing siher mone\' for some of their rebel script, 
which was then new and a curiosity. Under a special 
guard, the ])risoners were taken along with us and sent 
to the general's head(|uarters. Their fate I do not know 
but under the arrangements for exchange of prisoners, 
they ])rol)abl\' were fighting us again in a few months. 

We now adxanced in the direction of lUuffton. Upon 
arri\ing we found the town deserted, a small scpiad of 

102 



CAPTURE OF FORT PUl.ASKl 



rel)t'l ca\alr\' lea\iiig" the further eiul of the town as we 
entered. 

A volley of rifle shots was sent after them, but ap- 
parently without effect, and they were soon out of sig'ht. 

The town was made up of a small number of l)uild- 
ings, with one store, with very little, if anything", in that. 
T remember that we did find quite a large number of 
corn-cob ])ipes, and these were soon distributed among 




the 



LIVE OAK GROVE. 

l)Ovs. Not a white man in towm, a few aged negro 



men and women only remaining — a typical delapidated, 
small southern town. 

Lea\ing Bluffton, we re-embarked and moved on, 
landing late in the day at Dawfuskie island. The next 
day, a long march across the island was through l)eautiful 
groxes of li\e oak. without underbrush, the trees fes- 
tooiK'd with the growing moss. This remarkable growth 



REMixiS('i<;.\"c'ES oi' 'rill-: WAn (U'' tiii<: r1']i:I':i.li()X 

of moss lianj^"ing' i^Taccfull}' from liml) to liml) is a most 
beautiful sight. 

Other troops had preceded us and were in eamj) ii])<)n 
the south end of the ishmd, General X'iele in command 
of the troops at this point. The next morning our camp 
equipage arrixed, and we were ordered into cam]). 

Fort Pulaski could be plainly seen to the southeast 
some three or four miles away. The following day a re- 
connoissance by our regiment was ordered up the Sa- 
vannah river; a part of the regiment was landed on Bird 
island, detachments being sent up the river in row boats. 

Finding nothing, however, upon the right or left. 
everything being hidden on the mud islands by the tall 
reeds and marsh grasses, we proceeded however to with- 
in sight of a rebel gunboat, wdien before they got within 
range, we ])ulled back to the cover of our batteries which, 
had been erected on Mud island, when our guns opened 
on the steamer, and apparently not being ready for a 
fight it disappeared. 

Our batteries upon the Mud islands along the Savan- 
nah river were erected with a great deal of difficulty. 
First were carried immense quantities of sand bags. The 
islands are made up of what seem to be a semi-fluid un- 
<ler a partly dry crust of three or four inches in depth, 
and which gave way under the pressure like jelly, at 
c\'ery step; a pole or a 1)oat oar could be forced into it to 
the depth of 12 to 15 feet. To mount the guns on this 
])recarious foundation, these sand-bags were first placc(t 
in position, and to get the guns to the batterx-. canxas 
\vas hrst laid u])on the surface, and then planking" end 
end to end and over this the guns were dragged. I^^-e- 
(piently the guns would slip off from the muddy i)lanks, 
taking hours to re])]ace. In this way. day after day. hun- 
dreds of men toiled, to erect batteries ;it dilTerent points 
on the river. 



104 



CAPTURE OF I-ORT PULASKI 



A reljtl ironclad known as the Atlanta had l)een 
l)uilt at Savannah, and was expected down the river to 
attack our batteries. Xo other thought among our men 
was entertained than that the rebel warship would be 
captured, and the question arose as how to get into the 
iron-bound prize, after it had been disabled. An officer 
of the 48th New York regiment was sure he had the 
men wdio could do it. Calling his company into line, and 
after explaining to the men the difficulty of boarding 
the vessel, he said. "Let every man of you who has had 
experience as a cracksman or a safe blower, step to the 
front," and it is said, every man of the company stepped 
off two paces, ready for the work in hand. 

In the meantime active work was being done at Ty- 
bee island, preparatory to the bombardment of Pulaski. 
Sergt. AndreW' J. A\^adlia of Company G had been de- 
tailed for duty at Tybee island, and placed in command 
of the fatigue party under the direction of Capt. Hoi ace 
G. Porter (who later in the war made himself famous as 
Gen. Horace G. Porter.) Sergeant Wadlia was a 
brave and most efficient soldier; I shall have more to say 
of him later. He tells us something of the operations 
at Tybee. The l^atteries of heavy guns erected there, 
located about two miles and a half from Fort Pulaski 
were brought from Port Royal in our ships, loaded into 
lighters, having a decking made of heavy timber, then 
towed ashore. For transporting these guns and mortars, 
some of wdiich weighed more than 17,000 pounds, wheels 
of ponderous and peculiar construction were used in con- 
nection wiith skids of timbers 10 inches scjuare and 20 
feet long. These guns were then hauled over the sands 
of the island, a mile to a mile and a half into position at 
the batteries, h^or this w'ork 300 soldiers or more to each 
gun A\ere re(|uired. and the work all done in the night, 
it being in plain sight and within range of the guns at 
Pulaski. Xo talking was allowed, the sound of \oices 

107 



Ki':.MiNiS('i;.\< 'lis oi- Till'; wau oi- 'nii-: HionioLiMdA 

easily traNcllinj^- over the water to such a distance, 
would locate the working- parties to the gunners of Fort 
Pulaski. 

Battery after battery was built and concealed by the 
brush; as the advance was made, tall bushes and small 




trees were cut and placed in the ground in front of the 
work, elTectnall}- concealing the batteries from the en- 
emy. Night after night this work went on often through 
heavy rain and terrific thunder storms, seeming to re- 
quire almost snjierhuman elTort to accomplish it. Fin- 
all}', on April 9, and this was in i86_'. e\ery thing w^as 

108 



CAPTURE OF FORT PULASKI 

ill readiness, and the guns opened tire on tiie fort about 
8 o'clock in the morning, each mortar firing one shot 
every 15 minutes, and the guns once in five minutes each, 
20 rifle guns and 16 mortars. This firing w^as kept up 
through the day, with a cessation at night when guns 
were only fired at intervals for the purpose of preventing 
repairs of damages. On the morning of the nth it could 
be seen by the use of glasses that the old brick fort was 
crumbling under the tremendous pounding of our guns. 

The reply from the enemy's guns had done but little 
damage. At 2 o'clock the white flag went up, and all firing 
ceased, and in the afternoon the fort was occupied by our 
troops; 5275 shots had been fired from our guns and mor- 
tars, and although the fort was practically destroyed, the 
losses were surprisingly small. It hardly seems credible 
that only two men were killed and fifteen wounded under 
this tremendous cannonade, but the fort was captured 
and the result was important in closing the Savannah 
river completely to blockade runners. This was the first 
instance in history of the reduction of a fort at such long 
range, and this gave to General Gilmore, who had con- 
ceived and carried to a success this great work, a world 
wide reputation. 

Upon learning of the news in Savannah of the sur- 
render of the fort, a panic followed, the citizens sending 
their families and valuables into the interior. Now was 
the opportunity for General Sherman to capture the 
city. Savannah being practically without defense ; but 
he failed, as other generals have failed, to take advan- 
tage of conditions. It seems to have taken the first two 
years of the war for our generals to learn the science of 
their profession and only learned through experience at 
a terrible cost of life and treasure, how to win victories. 



109 



CHAPTER IX. 




On to Charleston — Spoiling for a Fight. 

UR camp at Dawfiiskie Island was of short du- 
ration. It was understood that the ohject of the 
movement had been accomplished. Again we 
were ordered l^ack to our camp at Hilton Head. 

W t were now becoming resti\'e under a long inac- 
tivity beyond occasional reconnoissances, and from our 
standpoint we could see very little that had been accom- 
plished. Every mail from the north l)rought us news of 
the movements of the armies in XHrginia and the west 
and we began to fear that the war would close l^efore we 
saw active service, in fact, most of us were spoiling for 
a fight. 

Soon after our return to Hilton Head from Dawfus- 
kie. it was rumored that the army was soon to move up- 
on Charleston. This news was received with a hurrah 
all through the camps. On the afternoon of April 2. an 
order was received to pack up and to prepare to move 
on the following day. 

At daylight the whole camp was astir. It was the 
first breaking up of our camp since the landing in Xox- 
vember previous, and all was excitement with the ex]:)ec- 
tation of actual service against the enem\'. "l^he packing 
of the knapsacks was first in order; then the striking of 
tents and rolling them up to be loaded on the l)aggage 
wagons. A great deal of what could hardly be consid- 
ered a necessity to the soldier in actixe campaigning had 
been accunuilated during the man}- months we had oc- 
cupied this cam])-gr()und. and nmst be al)and(MU'd. Tbe 

1 I I 



KE.MIXlSCEXnoS OK Till-: WAIl OF THE REIJELLION 

soldiers knapsack was limited in its capacity, and the 
capacity of the sokher's strength, of conrse, was limited to 
toting it on his back. The necessities of the lousiness of 
headquarters demanded more transportation; in the ad- 
jutant's tent were our regimental records, these must be 
carried along in some way; the of^cers' baggage was 
also not limited to the knapsack. The commissioned of- 
ficer was allowed a certain number of pounds of baggage 
to be taken along on the baggage wagon. You may be 
sure, however, that every knapsack was filled to the lim- 
it; every man had his blanket to roll and strap to the 
knapsack, and likewise his overcoat when not worn. This, 
with forty rounds of ammunition, and from one to three 
days rations in his haversack, the canteen full of water, 
all weighing not less than from 30 to 40 pounds ; this ad- 
ded to the weight of the rifle loaded the boys down like 
a pack mule. We had yet to learn the meaning of '"light 
marching" order, when the knapsack was thrown away 
and the entire outfit of change of clothing and toilet ar- 
ticles must be rolled in the blanket, the ends tied together 
and carried across the shoulders. 

I already had had misgivings as to having left my 
school and studies, not realizing at the time the great 
experience that was before me, and sent home to my 
brother in the old bookstore at Nashua for textbooks, and 
was using the time that I could get, in study. These 
books found a place in the boxes containing the records 
of the adjutant's office, and so carried along, until 1864, 
when they were lost with all the records of the regiment 
by the sinking of a boat in the James River. 

I don't know what became of all our surplus belong- 
ings that could not l)e carried along, which must have 
included everything imaginable; man_\' articles had been 
received by the boys from home, probabl}- they fell to the 
negroes, camp followers and soldiers, who remained at 
Port Royal. 

112 



ON TO CHARLESTON— SPOILING FOR A FIGHT. 

Early on the day of the 3rd we were in line and ready 
to move, marching out of our camp and down to tUe 
wdiarf. Aluch of the camp equipage and baggage had 
qh-eady been put aboard the transports. 

Our regiment was assigned to tlie steamer Ben De- 
ford, upon which we embarked, and soon were steaming 
down the harbor and out to sea. 

Early in the morning of the next day we landed at 
Edisto Island. This island is one of the largest of the 
group of Sea Islands, and next south of John and James 




Islands, near Charleston, separated by Edisto River, this 
river being navigable for many miles inland. 

The point to which we were ordered was Mitchell 
plantation, ten miles inward from the landing place. The 
march across the island was our first experience in 
marching any distance. The weather was extremely 
hot, about 110 degrees in the shade, and under the neavy 
load the men were carrying, it was something terrible. 
We had not gone many miles before the boys began to 
fall out, unable to continue the march. 

Quite a number of negro camp followers were made 
use of by piling knapsacks upon their heads, some of them 

113 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

four nv the, the ^rcal, burly, black follows carryiug them 
alou^' with appai'cut case. 

1 i;-ot al(>n<; very well myself, not having- any load to 
rarry, and (Inished the march with the regiment. 

The general mo\ement of the troops was never un- 
derstood very well by the soldiers, except in a general 
^vay. The moving from place to place, marching and 
counter-marching from point to point, were generally 




ON TRANSPORTS--WRITING HOME. 



mysteries past finding out. The delays always incident 
to campaigning became in time a matter of course with 
the soldier; we expected tc^ wait, and we became used to 
it. We would have orders to march to certain poinis; 
before arriving orders would be countermanded, and days 
and nights might elajvse before another movement would 
be made. .Ml this was incident [o the general movements 
of the army, the changed conditions making it neces- 

114 



ON TO CHARLESTON— SPOILING FOR A FIGHT. 

sary for the general in eoniniand (if llie nioxemcnt to 
change his plans to meet new conditions. Why we were 
kept upon Edisto Island for several weeks was never un- 
derstood. We were expecting to move upon Charleston 
and orders were looked for every day that did not come 
until early in the fol'owing month. 

Reaching the Mitchell plantation, head(|narters were 
estal)lished in the Mansion House, so called, the home of 
the proprietor of the plantation. Some of the "Mansion" 
houses of the south are anything hut mansions, although 
this was a passably good house of two stories, but with- 
out furnishings, exerylhing ha\ing been rcmo\-cd. The 
officers, of course, took the house, the men of the regi- 
ment occupying the negro cabins until our tents arrixed, 
a week or two after. 

We were not met by the enemy, nor did we see any 
for some time after occupying the island. At this p\-ice. 
my friend. Adjutant Hill, resigned, and left the ser\ ice. 
Lieutenant Dearborn of Company D succeeded him tem- 
porarily, a fine young man. and an agreeable companion. 

Not far from the house was the cotton gin- — quite a 
curiosity to the boys from the north. A cotton gin is n 
building with machinery for cleansing the seed from the 
cotton. The cotton after being picked by the negroes in 
the field, is carried to this building. Connected with the 
gin is a machine for baling the cotton, after the seed has 
been taken from it. At that time, no use had l)een found 
for cotton seed, and immense piles of the seed were 
around the building, considered as worthless. This seed, 
as is well known, has since become very valuable for 
many commercial purposes. 

Our stay at the Mitchell plantation ^vas altogether 
quite a picnic. Immense blackberry fields were found 
near, and were picked and used by the who'e regiment — 
running Idackberries, very large and very sweet — the 



15 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

boys not only used all that were wanted for eating. l)nt 

made quantities of wine. 

Numerous reconnoissances were made to locate the 

enemy. Upon one of these expeditions we came upon 

the plantation of ex-Governor Aiken, former governor 

of South Carolina, upon Jehossie Island. 

It was generally known that Governor Aiken had 

I)een under surveillance by the rebel government at Rich- 
mond, for expresing Un- 

,_ ion sentiments. There- 

f' fore, when we arrived 

upon his plantation, or- 
ders were given to do 
nothing to damage the 
property, or confiscate 
anything that might be 
found there. 

The governor was the 
owner of a \'ery large 
rice plantation, although 
not under cultivation at 
that time to any extent. 
In crossing the d\ke up- 
on the approacli to the 
place, we saw the ex- 
tensi\-e rice helds. and 
the way the rice was cul- 
tivated by means of gate- 
^. . ways to flood the fields 

by tide water, the flood 
gates being closed until 

the ground is prepared and the seed planted; then when 

the rice was at the proper stage of cultivation, the gates 

are opened, and the water covers the roots of the plants 

until the crop is matured. 




ii6 



ON TO CHARLESTON— SPOILING FOR A FIGHT. 

Governor Aiken was said to own over 1200 slaves, but 
only the old men and women and young children remain- 
ed. As we passed up through the village of negro huts 
and approached the mansion house, an old white haired 
negro, bent with age, came down the roadway. He was 
evidently one of the old house servants and caretaker. 
The colonel halted the regiment, and the old man came 
up to Colonel Jackson, and as soon as he could recover 
from apparent fright, said to the colonel, as near as I 
can remember, with a very low bow: "Massa sojer man, 




THE INTELLIGENT CONTBASANO ' 



INTELLIGENT CONTRABAND. 

de good Massa Aiken say to me dat if any of de Yankee 
sojers cum on de place to give him de keys of de house, 
and ask em dat after dey'd looked thro de place to please 
not carry off de tings." Upon completing his little speech 
that no doubt he had been rehearsing every day lor 
weeks, he handed the keys to the colonel. 

The order was given to "stack arms." The colonel 
then gave specific instructions to the men, that after 
breaking ranks they could look through the plantation, 
but if anv man destroyed or took awav anvthing- what- 

117 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



ever, they would be severely punished. We found in the 
house that much of the furniture and bric-a-brac had been 
packed, but not removed. In a small building near the 
large house was a billiard tabic, and everything m run- 
ning order. Having had a little experience with billiards 
1 enjoyed the game upon the governor's table with some 
of the officers. 

While in the midst of our holiday sports, a shell 
came shrieking over our heads, and about the same in- 
stant was heard the booming of a gun from a rebel bat" 
tery that was concealed and some mile or more away. 

The shell exploded a little beyond us. You can un- 
derstand that there was a hustle in response to the long 
^-- - - -- •. . • --.^ ->-j<'«asH!S| roll beaten by the drum- 
mer boy, under orders 
from the colonel, which 
means orders for the as- 
sembly of the troops. 
They evidently were 
getting our range, for 
another shell exploded 
a little nearer, but with- 
out effect. Not having 
orders to make an at- 
tack upon the enemy, 
the colonel gave the 
command, "about face" 
and marched the regi- 
ment back across the 
dyke and without fur- 
ther demonstration we 
returned to camp at 
Alitchell's. 
In the summer of 1905, I was taking a trip through 
the south, and on the railroad train going from Charles- 
ton to Savannah I fell into conversation with a gentleman 

118 




Gen DAVID HUNT£R, 



ON TO CHARLESTON— SPOILING FOR A FIGHT. 

who gave me his name as G. A. Bissell, whom I found to 
be very interesting. He gave me much information as to 
the country around, and he told that he was the owner of 
the plantation upon which the battery was located that 
shelled us out when we were at the Governor Aiken plan- 
tation; that he was a boy at the time of the war, and a 
member of a South Carolina regiment. His father was 
the owner of the place and the nearest neighbor of Gov- 
ernor Aiken-. That his father was a rice planter, owning 
just before the war some 500 slaves. He himself still 
carried on the plantation, with free labor. With 
him were quite a number of the old slaves who 
were upon the plantation before the war. He said 
he was a private in the i6th South Carolina 
regiment, and was in the Fort at Secessionville when 
we made the attack in June, 1862, and where we were re- 
pulsed with slaughter. The battle of Secessionville was 
my first battle. The meeting of this gray-back who was 
one of the "Rebs" at Secessionville was most interesting. 
In talking it over with Bissell, he very laconically said, 

"We made it pretty d d hot for you fellows that day, 

didn't we ? " I agreed with him that they did. 

A few days after our reconnoisance, one of our 
small gunboats went up the river and through the creeks, 
around to Jehossie Island, and captured the battery that 
opened fire upon us when at Governor Aiken's planta- 
tion. 

I was sitting one morning upon the veranda of the 
headquarters building. It was a very hot morning and I 
had just come in from guard-mount, a ceremony in which 
the sergeant-major is "it," or thinks he is, he having 
charge of the formation of the guard, turning it over to 
the adjutant. I was standing in the shade of the oleanders 
next to the house, a shrub that in the south grows to a 
height of from 12 to 15 feet, and looking across the par- 
ade ground to the quarters; in front of their tents I saw 

119 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

two of the boys evidently practicing the new bayonet 
drill. Suddenly there was a flash from one of the guns 
and a report, and at the same instant one of the men fell 
to the ground, shot accidently by his comrade. It ap- 
pears that they had just come off from guard, their pieces 
not having been discharged. This was one of the many 
incidents occuring from day to day. Why this should 




MAP or JAMES ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA. 



stand out in my memory more than hundreds of others, 
is probably from the fact that this was the first man that 
was killed in our regiment. 

Troops were arriving from Hilton Head, General 
Wright's brigade among them, and by general orders 
issued from department headquarters, General Wright 

120 



ON TO CHARLESTON— SPOILING FOR A FIGHT. 

relieved Colonel Fellows of our regiment in command of 
the post. 

About this time news came to us from Hilton Head, 
that a rebel blockade-runner had just been brought into 
port by one of our warships, that had been captured in 
Charleston harbor, having on board 10,000 Enfield rifles, 
a lars:e lot of rifle cannon and a million dollars in eold. 




£ 



12 



CHAPTER X. 



THE JAMES RIVER CAMPAIGN. 
Charleston in Sight — The Enemy in Our Front. 

T,^LL the troops of the Department of the South 
n4C% that were available had now been rendezvoused 
P^S^ upon Edisto and Johns Islands, for an advance 
upon Charleston, by way of James Island. The 
gun boats had been kept busy navigating the Edisto and 
Stono Rivers and the network of creeks that thread their 
way between the islands and the mainland protecting the 
movements of the troops. 

General Hunter, in command of the department, 
had retained his headquarters at Port Royal, and from 
there directed the general movement. General Horatio 
G. Wright was in command of our brigade, and by his 
direction our regiment left the Mitchell plantation early 
on the morning of June 2, and marched across Edisto and 
Johns Island to Legreeville, on the banks of the Stono 
River. 

We were now getting into the real thing; this march 
introduced us to genuine campaigning. All through the 
day of the 2d we marched under the fierce heat of the 
tropical sun, thermometer at 100 to no, frequent stops 
being made for rests, but many fell out exhausted, unable 
to continue the march. The men of the hospital corps 
would attend the worst cases, but on the column was 
pushed until late in the night, when a bivouac was or- 
dered. Again before daylight, we were ordered into 
line to continue the march. ^Yhy this forced march was 

123 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



given US at this time we did know, nor do I now know. 
A tremendous thunder storm came on soon after com- 
mencing- the march — with a tcrrihc downpour, (h'cnching 
everybody and everything. 1 he country being level and 
the roadway somewhat below the surface the road first 
became a mass of mud, and later we were tramping in 
water three and four, and sometimes twelve inches deep. 

Creeks were waded 
waist deep. For miles 
we tramped in this 
storm ; the thunder 
and lightning was ter- 
rifying, with crash 
after crash of thunder 
known only to the 
southern climate, the 
lightning playing 
along the rifles of the 
men in line, was an 
experience and sight 
seldom witnessed. 
Men were throwing 
away their blankets 
and overcoats, which 
had become so soak- 
ed with water that it 
was a question 
this heavy load or fall 




CAPT 



DONOHOE. 



whether they would sacrifice 
themselves by the way. 

As the morning approached the storm cleared and 
before noon, when we arrived at Legreeville. the sun was 
shining and everything took on a more cheerful aspect. 

The troops occupied the deserted houses of Legree- 
ville for two or three days. Our rations had become 
short and we were without food for twenty-four hours, 
when the supply train arrived and rations with whisky 

124 



» 

H 
H 
> 
O 

?! 

C 
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o 

z 

H 
X 

n 

o 

c 

H 

i 
n 
(A 

O 
■n 

X 

a PI 
55 •" 

^ O 

S3 
» ?! 
g (0 

■a • 

»= e_ 

S. >• 

*< 3! 



ft > 

«^ 

« z 

2 "^ 
E! o 











W ^' \ 




THE JAMES RIVER CAMPAIGN 

and quinine were issued. Yet if my memory is correct, 
before the rations arrived Colonel Bedel shot a young 
steer that was running wild through the town and this 
was divided up as far as it would go. 

The landing had been upon James Island, just across 
the Stono river by other troops that had preceded us, 
Gen. Isaac I. Stevens' brigade. The landing was made un- 
der cover of our gunboats that were now lying in the 
river. 

The enemy's works upon James Island were situated 
about six miles from Charleston and were outer defences 
upon the southeast. At Secessionville, a small hamlet 
of a few houses, was a rebel fort of strong proportions 
that stood in the way of our advance on Charleston. 

Upon the afternoon of the 6th, our regiment crossed 
over to James Island. The first night after landing we 
were sent out to the right of the line, to make a demon- 
stration to locate the position of the enemy. The rebel 
pickets were driven back, and we took possesion of some 
negro cabins and established ourselves for the night. 
We were surely getting into close quarters. We were 
now within about one mile from Secessionville, and in 
the distance, some six miles away, was Fort Sumter in 
Charleston harbor, and further to the left we could see 
the spires of the churches in Charleston. 

That night we had an experience that language fails 
to describe. We were standing in line, waiting for or- 
ders; night came on with an approaching thunder storm. 
the darkness increased to a density almost to be felt. The 
storm broke with a fierce intensity; blinding flashes of 
lightning with the crash and deafening peals of thunder 
followed by bolts of lightning striking around us in rapid 
succession. At the same time the enemy opened upon 
us from their guns at Secessionville; in that fearful crash 
Heaven's artillery and that of the enemy couldn't be dis- 
tinguished, one bolt of lightning striking so near the regi- 

127 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

nient as to knock down and partly stun many of the men, 
it may have been twenty or thirty, it may have been a 
hundred or more. The situation was intense; standing 
in line waiting the order "forward" every man was very 
willing to touch the elbow of his comrade. In our imag- 
ination we could see and hear the enemy coming down 
upon us out from the darkness by regiments, possibly 
brigades, but there was no attack. Our line was main- 
tained for I do not know how long. Orders finall}- came 
for us to retire, and we moved back. 

The following day we moved to the left about two 
miles, and occupied buildings upon the Grimba'l planta- 
tion, not far from the Stono river. Within two or three 
days our entire brigade had received tents and camp 
equipage and went into camp. In our front earthworks 
were in process of construction, the men of our regiment 
doing their share of the digging. In our rear, lying in 
the river were several gunboats. Thus we were estab- 
lishing a base of operations to move upon the enemy. 
Rations had been accumulated here, forage for horses of 
the artillery and cavalry had also been landed and was 
h'ing in immense piles on the river bank. I now recall 
a large pile of hard-tack in boxes, its proportions struck 
me at the time as something great, being fully the size 
and height of a two-story dwelling house. 

The usual picket line was maintained along our 
whole front, and quite a large picket detail was made 
from our regiment daily. Shots were exchanged between 
the enemy's pickets and our own, and men wounded 
came in and were brought in occasionally from the 
picket line. 

The picket guard is often the most dangerous, ardu- 
ous and nerve-wearing work of the soldier's duties, often 
under fire for all of the twenty-four hours that he is on 
duty, the picket guard as well as all other guards being 
relieved every twenty-four hours. Frequently the picket 

128 



THE JAMES RIVER CAMPAIGN 



of the enemy is within a stone's throw and always within 
rifle range ; the utmost caution is always necessary. At 
night no fires must be lighted, the striking of a match 
was often follow^ed by a shot from the enemy. At times 
the nights were long and most tedious, we would some- 
times catch fire-flies, put them into a small bottle, and 

from this light we could 
see by our watches the 
time of night. 

With all the hardships 
of the army life there 
was much pleasure also. 
It could not be imagined 
with so large a number 
of men and boys together 
that there would not be 
sport of all kinds, usually 
among boys under any 
circumstances. The Army 
was largely made up of 
boys, the average age 
was something like twen- 
ty-four years a large 
proportion being under 
twenty-one. When in 
camp the fun was only restricted by discipline ; in the 
evening large numbers not upon duty woifld gather 
around the campfire for stories, songs and dancing. The 
star jig dancer in our regiment was Alf Hayden of Com- 
pany F, my old company. He was not only the star dan- 
cer, but the fun-maker of the company, and the life of the 
boys under many adverse conditions, and a brave soldier, 
always ready for duty. Alf is still on earth, and very 
much so. He is the same optimistic, lively boy at 66 years 
of age that he was at 20, he is one of our letter carriers at 




CORP. ALFRED P. HAYDEN. 



129 



Ri<:.MiNis('i':x("i':s of tiiio war of thio rfijffj.iox 

this writing;', in Nasluia, walking" from 15 lo jo miles a 
day, apparently with ease. At the camp-fires of the 
Grand Army he is often the center of fun, and dances the 
same old jig that he danced in the days of the war. 

In every company there were musicians, and in the 
evening" when the lights hegan to glinniier, from all o\er 



if^«'J'^iPf:;^#*" 



mm-' 



'(if ,\' 













<4i- 



"00 NOT SKULK HERE— 



SKULKING. 

the camp could be heard singing", and occasionally, the 
notes of a violin, and more frecpiently. the harmonica. 
^^'hen not in active campaigning music was made much of 
in camp, quartets were formed of really fine voices. All 
this was most enjoyable in relieving the monotony of 
camp life. Then we would go into a hard, hot campaign 
and the tragedy would con"ie, and many of these voices 
would be no loni>er heard. 



1 ^o 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE. 

My First Battle and its Sensations. 

yvif ^^ lines of the enemy and our own were get- 
i:;:-! ting- dang-erously near. Firing along the picket 
•**># line was getting to be almost continuous; rebel 
shells ocasionallv reached our camp, our sun- 
iKiats HI the river, mimediately in our rear, returning the 
compliment. 

The thunder of the heavy guns and the banging of 
the riiles along the picket line with the zip, zip and ping 
of the minnieball had now become familiar sounds. The 
listlessness of routine camp duty had given way to an 
alertness that was new to us all. There was a marked 
difference in the atmosphere of the whole camp — every 
man upon a nervous tension. We were under fire of the 
enemy's guns, and expecting daily, almost hourly, to make 
an attack upon their w^orks. The intense excitement, as 
well as the horrors of war, that we were now facing, 
In-ought to every man sensations he had never before ex- 
perienced. A\'ith this change it was noticed that some 
of the men who had been spoiling for a fight were now 
attending the surgeon's call in the morning. The weed- 
ing out process had l)egun ; two or three of our officers — 
and T wish to make note that it was but two or three — 
resigned their commissions, and left the dangers of the 
soldier's life and returned to their homes. 

On the evening of June 15 orders were given for an 
early moxement on the following morning. Ammimition 

131 



REMINISCEiNCKS OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

was issued, evei\\' man filling his cartridge box with 40 
rounds and 10 extra for his pockets. Cooks were ordered 
to prepare rations for two days; it was evident that a 
general movement was to be made, and the attack upon 
the enemy's works was sure to come. Before going to 
sleep that night man}- a farewell letter was written, and 




COOK HOUSE. 

When statioued long enough in any one place Cook Houses were built with 
the best material obtainable. 



a farewell letter indeed it proved to be for a large number 
of the boys who were buried the next day under the soil 
of the enemy's country. 

Before daylight the troops were in line — I want to 
stop right here and tell something of the character of our 
Lieutenant-Colonel Jackson, who was then in command 
of the regiment, Colonel Fellows having resigned some 

132 



THE BATTLE OF SECBSSIONVILLB 

weeks before. Col. John H. Jackson was a martinet; lie 
had seen service in the Mexican War, he was, in fact, a 
miHtary man from instinct ; he beHeved in the enforce- 
ment of strict discipHne to the Hmit, and in his case t 
thought at that time, unreasonably so, regardless of the 
personal feeling or comfort of those under his command. 
I do not think he was intentionally harsh, but he was so, 
nevertheless. I suppose not an officer in our regiment 
that had not come under his displeasure and reprimand. 
I had escaped anything very severe, until the morning of 
this 15th day of June, when in the exercise of my duties as 
sergeant-major, in helping to form the line, I upon the 
left of the regiment. Colonel Jackson in a loud tone to be 
heard by the whole regiment, called me by name, rep- 
rimanding' me severely for something I had done or had 
not done, I think it was the posting of a guide, as he 
thought, out of alignment. I was very sensitive to cen- 
sure ; I had thought I had reason to be proud of my suc- 
cess so far, and in the way that I had done my duty. 
Under these conditions I felt crushed and humiliated, but 
of course I accepted the censure without a word, and con- 
tinued in my work. 

The line was formed, and every man who was fit for 
duty was in line and in fighting trim, with his 50 rounds 
of ammunition; no knapsacks, nor blankets, nor overcoats. 
The Hospital corps was in position with stretchers on 
which to carry off the wounded — this surely looked like 
grim, serious business. The musicians, including the 
drummer boys, were ordered out for duty with the am- 
bulance corps. This also included our regimental band. 
The boys of the band thought this was a different propo- 
sition, to go up to the front under fire; the rattle of mus- 
ketry and roar of artillery was quite another kind of 
music than that they had furnished on dress parade and 
in evening concerts at headquarters, yet to the best of 
my recollection they responded cheerfully and bravely. 

133 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

Jolin C. Linehan, one of the best known of New llani])- 
shire's soldiers, was a member of onr band, and althong-n 
he "phistled in the band," showed his bravery on this oc- 
casion. Our Chaplain Hill was a hero. too. Althoiii^h 
he was not ordered to the front, he was often under tire, 
doing heroic work in the care of the wounded. 

Our brigade was upon the left, and our regiment up- 
on the extreme left of the line. The order came about 
daylight, and the order gi\en — "By the Right Flank, I'^or- 
ward, March ! " Out of camp we moved and in the di- 
rection of the enemy's works. 

Through the woods, possibly a mile, into a field on 
the interior of our line of works we marched, and here 
the brigade was formed in column of masses, with the 
left in front, bringing our regiment to the front and near- 
est to the enemy. Column of masses means regiments 
brought into line of battle, forming a brigade, one regi- 
ment in the rear of another. 

This position had been taken on each side of the road. 
There had been firing on the picket line all the morning. 
and now a detail of skirmishers was sent forward, under 
the command of the proper officers, and had disappeared 
in the woods. The regiment was then ordered to "stack 
arms," and wait for further orders. Now was the test 
of our courage — waiting in line for the opening of the 
fight. 

Upon breaking ranks, most of the men threw tTiem- 
selves to the ground. Firing was now heard from the 
skirmishers, with a ping, ping following the crack of the 
rifle, and at almost the same instant a shell exploded over 
our heads. 

A feeling of horror, dread and fear came over me — I 
was faint, and only too glad to sit down and found a i)lace 
against a tree. I questioned myself as to whether T was 
faint from fear, or from not having eaten anything so far 
that morning. I reached into my haversack, took a bis- 

'34 



THE BATTLE OF SECESSION VILLE 

ciiit, atteni|)te(l to eat it. 1)iit could not swallow the first 
mouthful. 1 took a drink of water from ni}' canteen — 
but to no purpose. Then the conviction came to me that 
surely I was a coward, and wdiat was I to do? I shivered 
as with ague. I got onto my feet, but there was no es- 
cape — I must face the danger. 

The firing- was increasing upon the skirmish line; 
another shell from the rebel battery came screaming over 
our heads, and exploding beyond us, the rattle of musket- 
ry in the woods in our front increasing all the while. 

(Jrders were given to "Fall in ! " Every man was on 
his feet in an instant. A glance along the line satisfied me 
that I was not alone in my terror; many a face had a pale, 
livid expression of fear. A solid shot came bounding 
through the woods in front of us; several men were com- 
ing from the front, wounded. One man in the path of 
this shot or unexploded shell threw himself to the 
ground to escape, but was directly in the path of the shot, 
which struck the man, killing him instantly. 

"Take arms !" was the order from Colonel Jackson, 
repeated by Acting Colonel Bedell on the right and Act- 
ing Major Plimpton upon the left, and by every com- 
pany commander, each man taking his rifle from the 
stack. 

I was able to keep on my feet, and pride coming to 
the rescue, I determined that if I was a coward, no one 
should iknow it. \A'e knew that the time had come to 
move forward The mo\'ement of the regiment was 
made left in front, along the road out through the breast- 
w^orks, a belt of woods upon our left and an open field to 
the right; then, bv the right tiank, into the field along by 
a \'^irginia rail fence, and here we were halted to await 
<M-(lers. 

As we approached the eneni)- T was getting command 
<^f myself, fear growdng less and less. While waiting in 
line a little incident occured which 1 ha\e nc\er fi^rgot- 

T33 



REMIXISCF]NCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

ten. Our (Iniiii-niajor had xolimtecrecl to act as orderly 
for the Ijrigade-conimandcr. He came tearing over the 
field n])on a horse tliat liad been .issigned to him, evident- 
1\' with (hs])alclies. Just before lie reached the Colonel 
a shell from one of our gun boats back in the ri\'er e\- 
l)loded over our heads, the pieces flying savagely through 
the air. Instanll}' upon the explosion of the shell, the 
drum-major threw himself from the saddle and crawled 
imder his horse, in a shorter time than it takes to tell it 
and (|uite as much in danger from the horse's feet as 
from the shells. Nearly the wdiole regiment witnessed 
the feat, and a shout went up from the boys. It was 
currently reported among the boys of the regiment that 
the drum-major had received from home, and was wear- 
ing, a bullet proof \est. "Jliere was no end to the guy- 
ing that the drum-major suffered to the end of his ser- 
\ice, which was not long after the Battle of Secession- 
A'ille. having been discharged for disability. 

Hie First Brigade on our right, under General Isaac 
I. Stevens, 3,000 strong, had been ordered to make the 
attack upon the left of the enemy's w'orks, and the rattle 
of musketry could now be heard. 

The excitement grew with intensity, as the commautl 
came for our advance. Mo\ing forward, we soon came 
in sight of the enemy's w^orks, and they had opened fire 
from the guns of their fort, the shells exploding in air. 
Our gun boats in the river continued their fire, and before 
the gunners had the range of the rebel works, man\' of 
their shells exploded among our own troops. 

As we came nearer, a charge of the Second Brigade 
was made over an open field in front of the rebel fort. We 
had now reached a point 200 to 300 yards to the right of 
the rebel earthworks, where we halted. All fear was 
now gone; we were only anxious to be ordered to suj)- 
port the charge of the h'irst l^)riga(le, but the order did 
not come. Inhere we stood in full sight of the charging 

136 



THE BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE 

column, moving- rapidly forward, a wall of steel flasning" 
in the rays of the morning sun, the enemy sending a ter- 
rible fire of shell and grape and cannister into their raniks ; 
the line is broken and ragged as the men are mowed 
down with a hail of lead and iron, but closing if,p and 
moving on into the very ditch of the fort, some of them 
on to the works in a hand to hand fight. 

Never before had we seen such a magnificent, fear- 
ful sight — it was the greatest of all dramas — a tragedy 
and a horror, indescribable. 

At the moment General Stevens' men had reached 
the fort, an order came from the brigade commander to 
Colonel Jackson, to move his regiment to the left, and 
make a charge upon the enemy's right. Very little at- 
tention had been paid to us by the enemy up to this point. 

My position being upon the left of the line, I was 
naturally at the very front, following closely the colonel 
and the major, as the regiment moved in column up 
through the wood road, the woods to the left, the opening 
to our right, into a field at the right of the rebel works, in 
sight of, and probably within 500 yards of the fort. 

Here the order was given, "By the Right Flank, 
Charge Bayonets. Forward, Double Quick !" With a 
yell all along the line, the regiment moved upon the 
double quick toward the fort. Advancing to within 50 
rods of the fort, we were suddenly held up by a creek 
and swamp ; General Stevens' brigade, not having proper 
support, had finally fallen back, defeated and crushed by 
the terrible fire from the rebel infantry and grape and 
cannister from their artillery. Three times Stevens' bri- 
gade charged the works, and each time cut down, 
slaughtered and driven back, leaving more tlian 500 
killed and wounded in front and in the ditch of the fort. 

The full attention of the rebels in the fort was now 
turned upon our regiment. The order to commence fir- 
ing had been gixen, and a deadl}' fire from the guns of 

139 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

the 'J'hird Xew Hampshire swept the rebel infantry from 
their parapet, and silenced their guns in our front, but 
their fire was soon renewed and with deadly effect. At 
the same time, fire was opened upon us from a rebel bat- 
tery from our rear, a battery concealed by the woods, and 
our men were falling- upon my right and left, killed or 
wounded; sometimes throwing up their arms, with a 
fearful shriek, pitching forward to the earth, and some 
times dropping to the ground without a groan. 

L'pon coming into the field, we found the ground 
irregular, broken by clumps of bushes here and there, and 
the colonel finding the impossibility of makii\g the 
charge, located the companies of the regiment in positions 
for the best possible advantage. In executing this order, 
the adjutant and myself conveyed the orders to the dif- 
ferent company commanders, from the colonel. 

I ha\e a clear recollection of my movements and 
sensations during all that time. Returning to the colonel 
after delivering each order, and saluting with my sword, 
I reported with the same precision that I would have 
done upon carrying out the orders upon any ceremony. 
I do not think I should take any special credit to myself 
in this; I simply had no fear. The men falling, killed and 
wounded around me, and the shrieks of the wounded 
and groans of the dying made no impression. Is there a 
psychological explanation of this unnatural and practi- 
cally inhuman mental condition ? 

This was my experience throughout the War; it 
was the fear of what was coming — the knowledge of an 
impending battle always sent that thrill of fear and hor- 
ror; but once fairly in the fight and under fire, all fear 
was gone. The struggle to overcome the first tremors of 
fear was sometimes greater than at other times, the phy- 
sical condition probably had its influence, and this \aried 
with the individual soldiers. I have seen men so over- 
come with fear when moving up to the front that they 

140 



THE BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE 

fell out of the ranks, and in spite of orders and threats of 
their officers, laid themselves upon the ground in perfect 
helplessness. Later in the war in one of our battles 
in Virginia, we were moving up to make a charge, I was 
adjutant of the regiment at the time, one of our lieuten- 
ants skulked, setting an example which no officer worthy 
of his commission could do. Sword in hand, I rushed up 
to him and ordered him forward. He failed to move, and 
I struck him over the back with my sword, fiercely tell- 
ing him to move on. Although he did move into his 
place, I alw.ays regretted the act. 

Having apparently executed all of the colonel's ord- 
ers, I said to him that if there were nothing more, I 
would go to work with the boys, and pickng up a rifle 
that had been dropped by a man who had been killed, 
while near by lying upon the ground was Orderly-Ser- 
geant Joe Donohoe of Company C, brother of Captain 
Donohoe, I said, "Give me your cartridge box, Joe. Are 
you badly hurt ? " 

"Yes, for God's sake help me out." 

"I will," I said, "as soon as we get through with 
those devils over there," and I took a cartridge box and 
percussion cap box and put them on. 

I soon found myself in Captain Donohoe's company, 
at work doing my best with my rifle and 40 rounds of 
ammuniton. There was quite a bank along the stream, 
and I had slid down to the w'ater's edge, where some of 
the boys had taken position, while others were on the 
bank back of us. In the intense excitement the boys 
were none too careful in their aim and firing, and repeat- 
edly, those of us who were in the front and next to the 
water, closely escaped being shot by the men in the rear, 
the bullets passing over our heads all too close, the pow- 
der l)urning into our necks and faces, and remonstrance 
seemed to have no eft'ect. Zip, zip and ping. ping, the 
bullets sang about our ears, striking the dirt all around 

141 



REMIXISCKXCES OF THE WAR OF THE RELIELLIOX 

US- — stiMking the water in front of us — striking' human 
flesh — l)oring holes through trees and men. Some of the 
men, with faces blackened by the powder from the tear- 
ing open of cartridges with the teeth in the act of loading" 
their rilles, looked like demons rather than men, loading 
their guns and iiring with a fearful, hend-like intensit}'; 
some of the boys would load and fire with deliberation, 
w^hile others, under an intense, insane excitement, would 
load and fire without aim. Some would fail to withdraw 
the ramrod, and discharge their gun, sending bullet and 
ramrod on their message of death ; some of the guns be- 
coming foul, would fail to go off. but in the noise and din 
of the battle the individual gun could not always be heard, 
and again the man would load and go through the mo- 
tions oi firing, until three or four and sometimes more 
cartridges were in his rifle before it was discovered that 
the gun was useless; throwing it aside frequently with an 
oath, another would be within easy reach lying upon 
the ground beside the body of the dead or wounded. 

To the right of Company C was Company h\ Cap- 
tain Randlett coolly directing his men to do their best 
work. There was no braver man in our regiment than 
Captain Randlett, demonstrating here in his first l)attle 
his courage and ability as a military officer. 

Lieutenant Henry A. IMarsh was with Com]^an\- F 
through the fight, receiving a wound which sent him 
home to New Hampshire, and out of the service a few- 
months later. 

^\'e had nearly silenced the firing from our front, 
but \\ere catching it hot and hea\}- from the rear, when 
to our left and along a turnpike, we saw a column of 
troo])s coming from the direction of Charleston, several 
stands of colors could be seen indicating as many regi- 
ments. A\'e now turned our fire upon these approaching 
re-enforcements, but the fire from the rebel battcr\- in the 
woods to the rear was making terrible ha\'oc. About 

142 



THE BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE 

this time an aide came riding np throngh the held, on the 
dead run, and np to Colonel Jackson with an order to 
retire his regiment and to do it rapidly. A large force 
was coming in to cut us off. Hurriedly taking as many 
of the wounded as possible, the regiment was moved 
back. 

AA'ithin a space of less than two acres more than a 
hundred of the men of our regiment lay upon the field, 
dead or wounded. 

Captain Carleton of Company I had been struck 
with a shell from the rebel battery, carrying away a por- 
tion of both hips. He was so near to me at the time that 
my clothing was spattered with blood. 

Sergeant Moore of Company F was shot through the 
head, the l)ullet passing through the cheek, into the 
mouth, lodging in the throat. Many others were killed 
in a horrible way or fearfully wounded. Captain Carle- 
.ton was taken on an old door that was found opportune!}', 
and carried back as we hurried from the field. 

Sergeant David Wadsworth, later Captain \\'ads- 
worth of Company F, was a tent mate and companion of 
Sergeant Moore. He found the sergeant in this terrible 
condition, lying upon the ground and nearly strangled 
from the blood in his throat. Relieving his condition as 
best he could for the time, with the help of Sergeant Not- 
tage, they carried him off the field, and so as many as 
possible wxre brought back and placed in the hands of 
the surgeons. Some of the wounded were taken prison- 
ers by the enemy, some whose wounds were not severe, 
including Joe Donahue, were able to escape without help. 

We had retraced our way to the point where we had 
halted in the advance and there we found that the re- 
mainder of the l)rigade had been engaged with the enemy 
upon our right and rear. The Third Rhcxle Island had 
made a charge upon the enemy, who were advancing to 
cut our retreat, and at the same time Ca]itain Hamilton's 

143 



reminiscp:n('es ok 'imii<: war (»f thio iuoiikllion 

battery, of the Jvc\^ulars. had ()])cikm1 fire upon them 
with grape and cannisler. thus fixing- us the opportunity 
to escape from what came very near l)cins;- our death 
trap, as indeed it was literally to man}- a poor boy that 
was left on the field. 

There were many heroes upon that battlefield — 
many whose names I fail to recall, but whose splendid 
courage is worthy a place in history. There were a few 
instances that stand out prominently in my recollection. 
Captain Donohoe, later in the war a colonel, then Gen- 
eral Donohoe showed marked coolness and bravery in 
handling his company through the light. Colonel Jack- 
son, Acting Lieutenant-Colonel Bedell and Acting Major 
Plympton, as well as Adjutant Libbey. mounted upon 
their horses, were conspicuous marks for the enemy's 
bullets, but all escaped without a scratch. They acted 
with the coolness and courage that was noticed by the 
enemy and was commented upon in the Charleston papers 
in its account of the battle. 

In Colonel Jackson's official report of this battle, he 
named as deserving special mention for conspicuous 
bravery, Adjutant Libbey, Captain Donohoe, Captain 
Randlett, Captain Wilbur, Lieutenant Cody, who was 
seriously wounded, Orderly-Sergeants Libby and Trickey 
and Sergeant-Major Copp. There were many others 
equally deserving of special mention. From that time on, 
Colonel Jackson treated me with the greatest considera- 
tion, twice recommending me for promotion. This 
statement is made as to myself as a sequel to the atti- 
tude held by Colonel Jackson toward me up to this time. 



144 



CHAPTER XII. 



OUR RETREAT FROM SECESSIONVILLE. 

Capture of Company H Upon Pinckney Island — The Rebel 
General Lee — Forgotten Truths. 

^«N the afternoon of June 15th, following our de- 
J^^ feat at Secessionville, under a flag of truce, a 
«^*^*^^ burial party was sent out to bury the dead in 
front of and around the rebel fort. A Confeder- 
ate soldier laying upon the ground, apparently 
dead, some of the boys took the body and placed it in a 
hole in the ground, but before it could be buried, much to 
the consternation of the burying party the eyes opened, 
when of course he was taken out and a drink from one of 
the canteens was offered him. AVith a great deal of diffi- 
culty he spoke, and said to the man offering him water. 
''You drink first," explaining later when he had revived, 
that he had been told the Yanks would poison him sure, 
if he was wounded and fell into their hands. He was 
sent to the rear with the wounded, and his fate I never 
knew. 

A story is told of General Wright, who was visiting 
the hospital, the day after the battle, that he came along 
to the cot of a wounded boy of 18 or 19 years of age. who 
was groaning loudly and crying. The general asked him 
how badly he was hurt; with another terrible groan he 
pointed to where his foot had been amputated. "Yes. my 
boy," the general said, "but you shoukl not make such an 
outcry o\er that, why there are several outside there 
with their lieads shot off who are not saying a word." 

145 



REIMIXISnoXC'ES OF THE WAR OF TliJ>: FiFIIFTJ^TOX 

Our defeated forces had been withdrawn, the enemy 
had suffered to an extent that had prevented their fol- 
lowing uj) our retreat, and the follDwiiii;" dav the entire 
force was withdrawn!, and were back in our camp up- 
on the banks of the Stono. Our first movement against 
Charleston had proved a dismal failure, and we waited 
orders for a further movement. 

General Pemberton was in command of the rebel 
forces at the battle of Secessionville, but was succeeded 
shortly after by General Beauregard, who was assigned 
to the command of the army around Charleston. 

In an article written by General Beauregard, upon 
the defences of Charleston, written subsequent to the ad- 
vance upon Charleston by way of Morris Island, he says. 
"The advance of the Union forces by way of James Island 
was what I most feared ; this was the most vulnerable 
point of attack from the enemy and had the movement in 
June, 1862, been made at a point further to the west of 
Secessionville, there was no adequate defence against the 
march of the Union troops into Charleston." 

Looking back upon this campaign, it seems to those 
who were active participants, unaccountable that such a 
stupendous blunder could have been made in making a 
direct attack upon the strongest point of the whole line 
of defence, instead of under the ordinary rules of warfare, 
first determining the weakest point and there striking the 
enemy. Had the commander of the Union forces in the 
James Island campaign been a Grant or a Sherman or a 
Sheridan, a flank movement to the left would have been 
made, and we should have at that time captured Charles- 
ton; but this fatal mistake was not an exception in the 
movement of our armies throughout the war, it was all 
too frequent, as the student of history knows, and it is too 
true that many of our defeats were occasioned not always 
by the incompetency of the ■ commanding general, but 

146 



OUR RETREAT FROM SECESSIONVILLE. 

frequently by the treachery of some of the subordinate 

con,manders, jealotis of their superiors ^"'^°'-d'nate 

The battle of Fredericksburg, Fort Wagner, the mine 

explosion ,„ front of Petersburg, and man^ oti,er battle! 

r: of Te " '"":"'' '"^'""' °' ^'^'^^'^ "-> «■- or! 

ect.ted <=°""^i^"^l'"g S:<^nerals been faithfully ex- 

wa?!vfth",' •'"'^' "'.' '"'"■' '°'" "P°" "'^ J^™^^ River 
Has ,,,thdrawn and agani rendezvoused at Port Royal. 




It vvas on the evening of July 2d, that our regiment em- 
barked on a steamer, and before dark on the same Z 
we landed at Hilton Head, and went into camp n r th"^ 
large General Hospital building that had been erec ed 
"pon the b uff overlooking the sea. The first night tw.s 
a hnouac, the next day our camp equipage arrived But 
■s eep„,g under the stars of a SouthCarohna sk^i; qt.ite 
different from that of Virginia on a winter's night 

!? aftei the battle, many failed to respond to their na.ne 
n any were w^ounded and sick in the hosphal, and the a i 
of many names was followed by silence. "Dead " was 
-rnten by the Orderly-Sergeant upon his re o rd Ind 
thus our nun,bers were being rapidiv reduced Tl e cam 

149 



RKMIMSCKNCi^S OF TllK WAR OF THE REBELLION 

Following this time, for several months the opera- 
tions in our department were of no significance, the time 
was chiefly occupied in routine camp duties, drills, guard 
duty, picket duty, dress parades, Sunday morning inspec- 
tions, all of interest and necessary to the discipline of 
the troops. Every Sunday morning the camp was in- 
spected, followed by the inspection of the soldiers in line; 
in the afternoon was a dress parade and religious ser- 
vices. Our Chaplain Hill was a very zealous man, and 
there had been quite a religious revival in our regiment, 
the chaplain having special prayer meetings in the even- 
ing which were quite well atended. 

Over in another camp was the Fourth N. H. regi- 
ment, commanded by Colonel AV hippie. The colonel was 
a well known lawyer from Laconia, N. H., a very bright 
man, but somewhat addicted to the cup, and there was a 
keen rivalry between the Third N. H. and the Fourth N. 
H. regiments as to the merits of the two regiments. One 
day the news came to Colonel Whipple of a revival over 
in the Third N. H. camp. One of his officers had told him 
that twelve men of the Third N. H. regiment had ex- 
perienced religion and been baptized. This was some- 
thing new in the experience of the camp, and Colonel 
W" hippie became very much interested, and calling the 
adjutant, he says, "Adjutant they tell me that twelve 
men of the lliird N. H. regiment have been baptized. 
I want you, sir, to detail fifteen men at once and see that 

they are baptized. Fll be d d if the Third N. H. 

shall get ahead of the Fourth regiment." 

It is true that there was more drinking among the 
officers than good morals and good discipline would al- 
low, especially when troops were in camp in one place for 
any length of time ; it was natural that the spare time of 
the officers and men should be used socially, and it was 
also understood that the use of whiskey and quinine in 



150 



OUR RETREAT FROM SECESSION VILI^E. 

that iiialarions coimtrv was a necessity, therefore it was 
but natural that there should be drinking- to excess. 

Several of our companies had been placed at differ- 
ent strategic points some miles out from Port Royal, 
Company K was upon Pinckney Island, one of the most 
important of the outposts between Hilton Head Island 
and the mainland. Lieutenant W'iggin, a new officer, was 
in command, when one night the enemy surprised his 
camp and captured or killed the whole company. It ap- 
pears that a few days before, three of the company had 
deserted and had given information to the enemy as to 
the location of our post. 

The camp was completely surprised, the pickets hav- 
ing been captured, and without giving alarm to the 
camp, they rushed in and shot and bayoneted many of the 
men, including Lieutenant Wiggin. The survivors were 
marched off as prisoners, and taken to Charleston and 
thence to Columbia. Six of the company made their es- 
cape during the excitement, one drummer boy, young 
Gracy, who told me the story upon his arrival in our 
camp. He said he was asleep, as most of the men were in 
their tent, Init he made a rush for the beach, with two or 
three of the Rebs after him. He thought they would get 
him sure, and as he arrived upon the bluff', in his imagina- 
tion he saw help coming up the beach and he cried out, 
waving his hat, "P>ully for Company H. Hurry up, hurry 
up." To his pursuers it was a veritable truth, that the 
relief was coming uj) the l)each, and they stc^pped and ran 
back, and the little drummer l)oy escaped. 

In 1881, the centennial of the surrender of Cornwal- 
lis at Yorktown, was celebrated In- the thirteen original 
states, each state sending its (|uota of troops. I was in 
command of the New Hampshire National Guard, repie- 
senting our state at this celebration. 

We found ourselves in cam]) l)et\veen the A'n-gmia 
troops commanded by General b^it/hugh Lee, and the 

LSf 



lUO.MIMSCIOXCIOS OF TIIK WAR • •!■' Till-: HIOI IKLLK )X 

South Carolina ret^'inieiil. ( )nc day, sitting- in my tent, 
the orderly announced Major W ri^ht, who informed me 
that he was surgeon of the South Carolina troops. He 
said he was iookini;- for some one who nia\' have helon^^ed 
to the Third X. II. XOlunteers in the War of the Rebel- 
lion. J told liini that i was a member of that rei^iment 
W hen he asked me if I knew about the capture of Com- 
l)any H. of the 3rd reg-iment, at Pinckney Island, I told 
In'm I had a \er\- \i\id recollection of that event. He said 







CAMP AT HILTON HEAD, S. C. 

he was one of the i)arty w ho made the ca])ture, belonging 
to the Ueaufort .\rtiller\-. South Carolina X'olunteers. and 
ga\e me the histor\- of the occurrence from his side, ask- 
ing me if the lieutenant ( W'iggin ) in conuuand of the 
compaiu- captured, was li\ing. lie knew, he said, that he 
was wounded and left with the others when they took the 
prisoners awav. I told him with some indignation, he 
was not onh' wounded, but he was murdered. The doc- 
tor had no ai)ologies, he could ha\e had none: it was one 
of the dark deeds of the infamous woi'k of the war, as 
waged by the rebels in arms. 

One of the blackest pages in the history of the world, 
is the massacre of a regiment of negro troo])s at h^ort 
I'illow. 1)\- the Rebel ( ieneral h'orest. In ( ieneral h'(^rest's 

1 T-; 



OUR RETREAT FROM SECESSIONVILLE. 

own official report of his capture of Fort Pillow, he says 
that 20 of his own men and more than 600 of the negro 
troops were killed, that the river was red with the blood 
of the negroes. This slaughter included every man in the 
regiment. 

The brutality of the South in their conduct of the 
war to destroy the government, seems to have been in- 




THE MASSACRE OF A REGIMENT OF NEGRO TROOPS AT FORT PILLOW BY 
THE REBEL GENERAL FOREST. 



stinctive and inborn, the whole fabric of their societv was 
based upon an inhuman institution, their barbarism must 
have come down from the dark ages through the chan- 
nel of human sla\ery — their shues were but cattle ; and 
the attitude of the average Southerner up to the time of 
and during the war, was merciless toward his enemy. 

153 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR Ul' THE REBELLION 

The treatment of tlie L'nion prisoners of war in Southern 
prison ])ens was barbaric, and a disgrace to the age in 
which we H\ed; thousands upon thousands of our soldiers 
in the hands of the enemy suffered the untold horrors of 
systematic starvation, either dying in the hands of the 
enemy, or living on for years suffering the result of such 
treatment, and whose lives were wrecked and cut short. 
Very, very few are living today who were victims of the 
rel)el prison pen. 

The records of the war in the Congressional Library 
at Washington are the unquestioned evidence of the 
truth of these statements. General Aaron F. Stevens, in 
whose memory every Nashua citizen takes pride, when a 
member of Congress soon after the war, was a chairman 
of the committee appointed by Congress to investigate 
the treatment of our prisoners in rebel prison pens. After 
an exhaustive investigation, the report was made, General 
Stevens was at home between the sessions of Congress, 
and came one day into my bookstore on the corner of 
Main and Water Streets. In talking of this matter, he told 
me that it ^vas demonstrated beyond question before his 
committee that the starvation of our Union soldiers in the 
prison pens of the South w^as upon authority of the gov- 
ernment at Richmond, the policy being to so reduce the 
physical condition of every Union prisoner that was cap- 
tured that he could never again ser\e in the Union army. 

T ^\■ould not be one who would wish to re\ive ani- 
mosities; it is the people of the South who are tearing 
o])en the wounds of sectionalism, b)- l)ringing from mer- 
ited obli\ion the leaders of the Rebellion in an attempt 
to make heroes of them, and when the sentiment of the 
North has reached the point of endorsing the act of plac- 
ing a statue to the leader of that unholy war in the gigan- 
tic attempt to destroy our govermnent, in the Mall of 
Fame in our cai)itol at Washington, T think it is time that 
the present generation l)e instructed in forgotten truths. 

US4 



OUR RETREAT P^ROM SECESSIONVILLE. 

The character of Gen. Robert E. Lee has been placed 
upon a pedestal of straw; to the soldier of the Union army 
who followed closely his record, he failed to show the 
nobility of character with which he is credited. To those 
who faced his army in the field, he \vas neither the Na- 
poleonic genius nor the Washingtonian character that is 
claimed for him by his admirers. There are instances of 
his brutality that place him on a level with the merciless 
tyrant. 

I am not making statements upon my own author- 
ity, I will quote General Grant. In his Memoirs he gives 
in detail his attempt to succor the wounded who were 
lying between the lines, following the Battle of Cold Har- 
bor, and of his failure to get the consent of General Lee 
to an armistice long enough to bring in the wounded. 
The very day of the battle he sent an ofificer under a flag 
of truce to General Lee, proposing an armistice that the 
thousands of wounded lying upon the field uncared for, 
could be brought into our lines. General Lee replied that 
if certain conditions would be complied with, he would 
consent. General Grant immediately sent a communica- 
tion, complying with such conditions, urging the neces- 
sity of immediate action. General Lee again objected, 
upon further grounds, and nearly three days elapsed be- 
fore General Grant could get the consent of General Lee 
to recognize a flag of truce, and when it was finally grant- 
ed the wounded had all died. 

The horrors of those three days upon the battlefield 
between the lines can never be told. The agonizing 
groans of the dying, and the heart-rending cries of the 
wounded, reaching the ears of their brave comrades in 
arms carried a thrill of unspeakable horror along the 
whole line. 

The lingering, agonizing death of thousands who 
lay upon that field through the three days and nights, un- 
til death brought them relief, can never be known. This 

155 



RK.MIMSCIOXCES OF THE WAR OK THE REBELLION 

hnitalit\- of General Lee was only paralleled by that of 
\\"urx, the inhuman conniiander of the rebel prison pen at 
Andersonville, where 30.000 and more Union soldiers were 
confined in a stockade and where thousands were starved 
to death, or reduced to skeletons, to be finally exchanged 
and sent to their homes. At the close of the war the 
leaders of the Rebellion fully expected to meet the fate 
of traitors to their country, in all countries, in all times, 
for the penalty of treason was death. 

The last struggle of the demon of rebellion was at 
Appomatox. Here the mighty forces of the Union Army 
had surrounded and crushed and brought to final defeat 
the rebel armies under Lee. Detachments had been cap- 
tured before the final surrender; the 9th N. H. Regiment 
in the 9th Army Corps took an active part in the closing 
scenes. My brother. Captain C. D. Copp, tells the story 
of the prisoners who were being conducted to the rear; 
among them were numerous general officers. One whose 
name he does not recall, walking along with him side by 
side, crushed with humilation and forebodings of his fate 
said to Captain Copp, "I suppose there can be no other 
fate for many of us who were leaders in this war than 
death or banishment — if they will but spare my life they 
may have ni)- |)roperty, all that I have, if they will but 
spare nn' life to my family." 

Some adequate punishment for the crime of treason 
seemed but a just retribution, but the magnanimity 
of our government at Washington, endorsed by the 
people of the North, granted amnesty and pardon to our 
enemies, for humanity and a reunited country — now in 
this year 1909. what a spectacle for the loyal people of 
the North ! A monument in honor of W'urz already 
erected by the people of the South, and it is now pro- 
posed to honor this arch-traitor and leader of the rebel 
army, General Lee, by placing his monument in the Hall 
of Fame in the capitol at ^^^^shington. To the Union 

156 



OUR RETREAT FROM SECESSIONVILLE. 

soldier, to whom the people of this country today owe all 
that they have, this is an indignity and a crime. To every 
American citizen whose patriotism is not paralyzed, the 
placing in the Hall of Fame in our capitol at Washington 
the statue of General Robert E. Lee, side by side with 
that of Washington, of Lincoln, of Grant, of Sherman, is 
a travesty upon loyalty, incongruous and monstrous. 




157 



CHAPTER Xlll. 




A Day in Camp— On the Sea Island Plantations. 

^^^fi^'AD this reminiscence been written years ago 
much that has faded from memory would have 
added interest to the story. Every day was full 
of novel and interesting experiences, totally 
unlike anything in civil life. 

In camp the day began with reveille from the drum- 
corps and fifers, usually about sunrise, the time varying 
according to conditions. Reveille was preceded by the 
drummer's call, beaten by the drummer at the guard 
house ; all the drummers and fifers immediately assembled 
on the color line, where the reveille was sounded. All 
through the camps of the whole army, sometimes ex- 
tending for many miles, the roll of the drum and the notes 
of the fife could be heard, a signal for the soldiers to "turn 
out." And a novel sight it was if you were in camp to 
witness it, when the boys crawled out from their tents, 
making a hurried toilet. Fortunate, indeed, were the 
joint owners of a tin wash basin, and into it water would 
be poured from the canteen, a piece of soap was a prize, 
and, well, we can't say much about towels — sometimes we 
had one — a pocket comb, frequently a little pocket mir- 
ror. The toilet is completed while standing around, most 
anywhere, the boys guying and joking each other all the 
while. If cool, a crowd was always around the cook's 
fire. "Fall in for roll-call ! " calls out the orderly-sergeant. 
Then follows a hurry and rush into line in the company 
street. The orderly-sergeant then calls the roll of the 
company usually from memory, without a list of uames. 

159 



RK.M1XJS("I0X(M<]S OK TIIK WAR OF THE REBELLION 

In his morning report, wliicli is made lo llie adjutant im- 
mediately following, every man in his c()m]Kiny must be 
.accounted for. 

The adjutant, having received reports from all the 
companies, consolidates the same, submitting it to the 
colonel for his signature, forwarding the report by the or- 
derly to brigade headquarters. From this report the ad- 
jutant is prepared to make up the daily details for guard 
and other duties, according to the strength of each com- 
pany. 

At 9 o'clock the drill call sounds for company drill ; 
frequently there is company drill before breakfast; bat- 
talion drill in the afternoon. The mental picture of this 
drill at Hilton Head that remains the most vividly in my 
recollection — I see Colonel Fellows sitting superbly upon 
his horse and with that sonorous voice giving the orders 
for the several evolutions ; the battalion in line, his order 
is "Change front, forward on first company; first company 
right wheel — March." This changes the line of battle 
to meet an attack upon the right flank. The first com- 
pany on the right makes a wheel to the right, the com- 
mand of the several captains down the line is "Company, 
right half wheel ! " At this command, the left general 
guide, at that time Sergt. John M. Parker, starts upon the 
run to a point at right angles to the old line — I see Ser- 
geant Parker so clearly in my recollection — why this is 
so, I suppose, is from the fact that all that Sergeant 
Parker did was done with ef^ciency. Through the whole 
service this proved true, always prompt and soldierly, re- 
ceiving jiromotion won by his soldierly (pialities and 
bravery in battle, returning with the regiment as cap- 
tain (if Company I. 

T liave digressed a little, and now we complete that 
evolution of tlic rcginien.t : — The adjutant has moved for- 
ward on the riglil of the line, and the sergeant-major up- 
on the left, in a(l\;ince of the guides who precede their 

I 60 



ON THE SEA ISLAND PLANTATIONS 

companies, one after the other being established by the 
adjutant upon the right and the sergeant-major upon the 
left, each sergeant arriving upon the Hue, inverts his rifile, 
that the aHgnment can be more readily made. The com- 
panies now quickly arrive upon the line established, and 
the captains of the companies dressing the men to the 
right, the evolution is completed, and the colonel giving 
the command. "Guides, post ! " when the sergeants re- 
turn to their places in line. 

Details for guard duty and for fatigue duty and other 
details have been made by the adjutant from the several 
companies the night before. 

Upon the first call for guard mounting beaten by the 
drummer at guard headquarters, or by the bugler, men 
who have been designated by the orderly-sergeant of each 
company for guard "fall in," in their company street, 
armed and equipped, and wait for the time to assemble 
upon the parade ground for guard mounting. At the first 
call, the regimental band, or if no band, the drum corps, 
is supposed to be ready for duty, and march out to the 
color line onto the parade ground and take their place, 
designated for the ceremony of guard mounting. The 
adjutant in the meantime, and also the sergeant-major, 
have put on their uniforms and swords, and move out in 
the direction of the parade ground. The officer of the 
day, too, who has been detailed by the adjutant, and 
usually it is one of the captains, has put on his dress uni- 
form, and his red sash across the breast and over the 
right shoulder and around the body under his sword belt, 
indicating the office of Officer of the Day. He. too, 
moves out on to the parade ground, and takes his place 
some lOO yards in advance, and faces the camp and color 
line. Two lieutenants of the guard, who have been de- 
tailed, have prepared themselves for donning their uni- 
forms, and move out to the parade ground. Upon the 
second call, at 8 o'clock or the time designated, upon a 

163 



RKlMTNTSnONClOS Ol' 'I'lll", WAR OF TTTE RRPRTiTJON 

sij^nal from {\\v .idiiit ;inl. who has lakcn his phice 50 yards 
in front of ami faiim; ihr t'olor lino, the hand or (h'uni 
corps (.•omnuMKH's to plaw and at the same instant all the 
diMails for L;nard from the si'\eral companies march out 
from the comi)an\ streets, nnder command of a corporal 
or serL;eant, and as they approach the line, halt ion^' 
enom;h to mo\ e up in succession on to the line estah- 
lislu'd li\ tlu' ser<;'eant major, wlu-ri- tlu' _t;nai"d is forme(l 
h\ him, who ha\inj;' formed the j^nard, turns it o\er to the 
adjutanl, and the adjutant in turn to the ( )|"licer of the 
Day. The cerenu)ny ne\er ceases to he interesting". lu- 
\ariahl\' ipiite a hiri^c mnuher of the hoys of the re^"iment 
i^'o out to witness i;uard mounting', althoui;h they may 
ha\e si-en it man\' tinu-s. The L;nai"d ha\ini;" passed in re- 
\ iew' in front of tlu- ("^iVu'er of the Haw proceeds under 
command of the lieutenant to the i^iuu'd house, where it 
relie\es the old i.Miai"d, which has heen on dut\' f(^r 24 
hours. 

The I'ohesion, strem^th and elVicienc\- of the arm\' de- 
pends upon its discipliiu', and the disciphne is thr(»uj;h 
pmiciilions ceremonies and stiict ohedience to onlers. 
(hie ol the most important ciuiMuonies, ttr more stricth' 
spe.akini^". one of the courtesies that is insisted upon in the 
relations hctwi-cn the conuuissioned otTicer and the en- 
hsted man, is the sahUe; wheuexer one meets or p.asses 
anotlu'r, the enlisted man or ollicer who is a junior in 
r.ink, nurst always salute hrst l>y t»mchim;- the \ i/or of 
his cap with the rii;"ht h;md, and exteuiliui;- and droppiui^" 
his arm t(> the side. The ollicer sa'uted is sti'icth' Ixnuul 
to leturu the salute 1)\ tonchiiiL^ his hat or cap with his 
rii;ht hand. W heiuwer an enlisted man or a junior otVi- 
cer has occasitui to >;o to the tent of a superior olTieer. 
upiMi entering; the lent, it would he a xiolatimi of cour- 
tesy and discipline 1>\ not reuuwiui;' his hat. A mounted 
olVicer addressiui; his superior, wlio is not mi>unted, al- 
ways ilisnu>uiUs. if cc:>iulitions allow. 



ON 'PI 1 10 SIOA ISLAND I 'I .A NTATK >N.M 



\\\c |>(isili(>il i)| llu' ('( illlpilllirs III IllU- .111(1 (il llicir 
U'Uls ill r.iiii|», IS .11 i( 1! (liiii; In siiiioiih, llif i.iiikinj; iMp- 
t;iiii Iiaviii;; llu' iij'Jil ol (lie liiif, llic iic\l in rank llu' left. 
.'111(1 so on lliitui!;li llic whole line, llu'ir i .ink Ihmiii; dc- 
loriuiiu'd l»\ llu' (I. ill' (il llu'ii (•oiiiiiiissi(ni. I 'i diiit •! i(»ns 
of ollii'i'is Iroiii one i.iiik l(> .iiiollici IS ;iC('(U (liiij; lo sen- 
iority, i'\ic|»l l(ii spi'ii.il ic.isiMis, s( •iiul lines .in dllieer is 
"jllinped" il lie is eonsideied ine lln U' ii I , lliis is j^fiieially 



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SHOULDER-STRAP. 

uiulcrstood Id l»e an in\ilalii>ii Ut llie oHieer to j^'ct out. 
I'roniot ions loi special acts ol liia\frv .are iii.adt* rc^'.'ird- 
less of rank. 

l''\iTy duty I liroiii;lioiit the day by c'\'ery oHii-i-r aiul 
soldicT in llu- ri'j^iiiK'iit, is s[)(.'(.ilieally (lirccU'd by llic col- 
onel idiiini.indiiig or by his sii[)cM'ior oHU'ct llirouf^^li gen- 

165 



REMINISCENCES Ol'' Till'; WAR <)!•• 'rjll'; Ui;r-i';M.i()N 

cial or s|)<.'fi.'il oi'dcrs, vvi'iltcn ;il llic did at ion of the com 
iiiaiidcT 1)\- llic assistanl adjiilaiil L;ciuTaI or adjutant of 
the rcginiciil, and proinul.^alc'd by Iiiiii. I '|)oii dfcss 
])ai'a(lc in tlic afternoon a part of tlic ci'icniony i^ the 
feadinj^' of all i^enei'al ofdei's by the adjnlant, to the men 
in line. 

The dress })ai'ade is also a most inlei'esl iiii; cere- 
mony, and the men in camp who are o(V dnt\' ffom an\' 
cause, are usually found as spectators to the ccrcnion\-. 
This includes the men who come nff s^niard in the moin 
ing and arc rclie\ed from duty until the following moiii 
ing-. ^ 

The hyj4iene of camp is always rigidly enforced; de- 
tails of men every morning arc made for what is known as 
fatigue duly, and under a c()mnn'ssioned onicer go through 
the camp, thorcnighly cleaning the grounds. kegular 
calls are made for breakfast, dimier and supper, by the 
drum or bugle, and the nien fall in line, march up to the 
cook tent with plate and dipper .and get their lalions. At 
the same time the officers asseiuble in tluii- mess lent foi- 
tiie several meals. 

At sunset the tattoo is beaten by the drum ci)ips. up 
on the color line, when all drills and ceremonies of the 
day are ended. The eveiu'ng is speiU b\ the ollicers and 
men in x'isiling thronghout our own cam]), and sometimes 
the camps of adjoining regimeiUs, and in reading, writ- 
ing letters, playing cards and other amusements. Lights 
were froiu candles furnished b\ the ipiai 1 crmastt'r ; a 
ba}'onet stuck in the ground, sometimes in a potat(» was a 
fa\()rite candlestick- of the men. In the e\ening, grou])S 
gathered aroiuKJ the caniplires for songs and stories. 

'1 he corncob pipe was much in ust-. In the swamj)'- 
near the camp, upon Milton Mead, was fomtd briei' w i )od ; 
fi"om its roots tlu' bo\s made brier-wood pi|)i's, .ind nian\ 
were of nni(|n(.' and .artistic designs, carvx'd with the iack- 
knifc. 

1 66 




CORPORAL 






a M. SER(^T. SER&T MM. 




PRIN.MUS. 




SERG-T 





PRIN. MUS 18^0 




COhA.SEKGT ^Q^_^^ ^^^^j 







■ COM SERCJ 



^fiWm COLOR COI?PL. 




X 



5I&W/1L CORPS ^ ^ PIOWEER CORPL. PlO/y£tK CORPS 

CHEVRONS. 



ON THE SEA ISLAND PLANTATIONS 

"Taps," sounded by the drummer or blown by the 
bugler, was a signal for all lights to be put out, and a 
quiet camp from that time on was insisted upon, and en- 
forced by the officer of the day, and it was frequently 
found necessary, where men who had sometimes been 
drinking too much and were noisy, to enforce this order 
by arrests, the men being taken by a guard to the guafd 
house. Arrests were frequently made for a violation of 
orders and summary punishment followed. 

The excessive heat and malaria had now begun to 
tell upon the health of the men, a large percentage of our 
own, as well as of other regiments, were upon the sick 
list. The regimental hospital and the general hospital 
also, were crowded with patients. Yellow fever had 
made its appearance. On the 9th of July, for sanitary 
reasons, an order was issued assigning our regiment to 
the occupancy of numerous plantations upon the island; 
the headquarters of the regiment was stationed at Gra- 
ham's plantation, some four or five miles from Port Roy- 
al. The colonel and staff occupied the mansion house; 
this including the non-commissioned staff. Company B 
was with us as headquarter's guard, the company having 
tents not far from the house. 

There was something over 100 negroes left on this 
plantation who were cultivating land for their own sup- 
port, raising some cotton, but more sweet potatoes and 
corn and peanuts, and selling their products to the sol- 
diers, the corn and potatoes adding largely to the diet of 
army rations. 

I have mentioned, I think, before, that the ex-slaves 
were of a religious turn of mind, although as a whole, 
very untrustworthy. We would occasionally attend one 
of their prayer meetings, but hardly to join in the ser- 
vice; their worship was certainly novel and amusing, if 
not instructive. Some of the older ones would conduct 



169 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

the service, and in the excitement of their fervent wor- 
ship, as they understood it to be, they would get into a 
frenzy of shouting and crying, some of them throwing" 
themsehes upon tlie Hour, and rolling in their agony or 
ecstac}', shouting at the top of their \oiccs, "Bress de 
Lawd," and other exclamations. At one of the meetings 
a white haired patriarch, rising ])y the help of his cane, 
with a trembling voice, said to the colored brethren and 
sisters, "I'se an ole man, an' I wants to gib you advice. T 
hab seen de wicked wa}s of de Nvorl' an' when )'ou bad 
niggers come up to de bar room of God, jes' like you come 
befo' General Hunter, all a treml)lin. den you wish you 
liad ben better niggers, den you wisli you had put yo' 
candle up on de hill, an' not under a haf ])eck measure, 
whar dey couldn't see no light." 

Here we saw the negro life much as it was when a 
short time before the}' were all shues, exce])t that no 
slave-driver's whip was over them now. They still occu- 
])ied the same old cabins, and di\'ided generally into fam- 
ilies; the same little pickanninnies were near the cabin 
doors, rolling naked in the sand. In their freedom from 
enforced labor, a large majority of the negroes were en- 
jo}^ing a life of indolence, simpl}- working for an existence, 
and their necessities were \-ery limited — a little bacon 
from the razor back hog. many of which were running 
wild in the woods, corn and sweet potatoes, made up their 
diet, and it was sufficient. 

It is not surprising that the negroes idea of freedom 
was freedom from work, they knew nothing in life but 
work; l)ut the generation of negroes since the war are on 
a higher level, and have accom])lishcd wonders throughout 
the whole South. 

I have said something of the arrangement for rations 
for the men of the regiment, and also of the officers' mess. 
1 was not (juite satisfied to li\e upon the regular ami}' 



170 



ON THE SEA ISLAND PLANTATIONS 

rations, and stretched a point in the matter of expense in 
messing with the officers. The pay of the officers took 
care of their part of the expense, but it was nothing less 
than extravagance for me to .keep up my end with them, 
and several times I resolved to economize and live upon 
the army rations, only to give it up, and find myself back 
in the officers' mess. On one occasion I arranged with 
one of my friends, a member of the band, Karl Krebs, to 
have a little mess of our own. Karl was a happy-go-lucky 
German youth who played the clarinet in the band, al- 
ways good natured and in for a good time ; he was quite 
an adept in the imitation of the Scotch bag-pipe with his 
clarinet, assisted by the voices of the members of the 
band. A\> arranged to draw our rations regularly, and 
to add to it whatever extras we could get together, which 
meant sweet potatoes, an occasional chicken bought from 
the negroes, and whatever little cooking we might be able 
to do for ourselves. We started in with quite a little en- 
thusiasm, counting up how much we could save in that 
w^ay of living; but to get our ration it was necessary to 
fall in with the men of some one of the companies with 
our tin plates and dippers. This was quite a come-down 
for the dignity of my office, I thought, but we concluded 
to make a try at it. I told Karl one morning that I would 
be the cook for that day and would surprise him with 
something very fine. AVe had provided ourselves with a 
limited number of dishes and a fry pan. My first efTort 
in the cooking line was in making what I understood to 
be fritters. At one of the negro cabins I found flour, corn 
meal and sour gum molasses. A little late in the morn- 
ing the breakfast was ready, and standing up the board 
upon two barrels for our table, the breakfast was served — 
fried pork and the fritters, sweet potatoes, baked in the 
ashes, and the cofTee. I rather prided myself on those 
fritters — I thought they looked fine, but when Karl had 
been served, he thought they were a little too stretchy, 

173 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

said he didn't care much for fritters, anyhow — he pre- 
ferred good fried liard-tack. On the whole, my cooking 
act proved a failure. After a few da)s of our struggle, we 
concluded that it didn't pay, and I was back again in the 
officers' mess and Karl with the band mess. 




NEGRO HUT. 



174 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Battle of Pocotaligo. — Epidemic of Yellow Fever. 

ENERAL Ormsby Mitchell, who had attained 
^ no little fame as an astronomer, had entered 
the army, and had risen to the rank of major- 
general. In September he was assigned to the 
command of the Department of the South with head- 
quarters at Port Royal, relieving Major-General Hunter. 

Our regiment had been ordered from the outlying 
plantations and was again in camp upon our old camp 

grounds near the gen- 
eral hospital. An in- 
spection of the whole 
command was or- 
dered by General 
Mitchell ; it was on 
the 19th of Septem- 
ber and all the troops 
at Port Royal were 
assembled in their 
\arious camps for in- 
spection, by the gen- 
eral commanding. 

Our regiment had 
l)robably been in line 
for two hours, wait- 
ing the arrival of the 
inspection party; it 
Gen. ormsby MITCHELL. ^as the Same old 

wait that we had become ([uile accustomed to; the men 
had on their full dress uniforms, which were about 
as uncomfortalde as anything could well be. the 

175 




REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

arms had been stacked, the men were waiting under the 
command, "Rest ;" this command permitted the men to 
leave their places in line and rest, lying down or in any 
way, in the immediate vicinity of their places in line, 
while the command "In Place, Rest," would mean every 
man must remain in his place at ease, but keeping one 
foot in position. 

No little swearing was going on down the line, the 
wait was getting tedious, when the new general, whom 
very few of us had seen came riding into the camp ground 
followed by his staff, each one ablaze in a new and re- 
splendent uniform. Upon his approach, the command 
was given by Colonel Jackson. "Attention ! " and every 
man sprang into his place in line. "Take Arms ! " "Carry 
Arms!", "Present Arms!", and every gun was brought 
by its holder, to the front and center of his body, and as 
General Mitchell neared the line, the band upon the 
right of the regiment struck up the old refrain, "Hail to 
the Chief," and the general and staff rode along the front 
of the line to the left, and up along the rear; then to the 
front again, when the colonel formed the regiment in 
"close column en masse." This evolution is executed b)' 
the companies upon the right of the right center company 
of the regiment facing to the left, and the companies on 
the left of the left center company facing to the right. At 
the command "March ! " the head of each company on 
the right turns to the left and the companies on the left 
turning to the right, move company distance to the rear 
of the company preceding, so that the right and left com- 
panies meet in succession, forming divisions of two com- 
panies, each division in the rear of each other, company 
distance. 

General Mitchell then addressed the troops in a 
grand eloquent speech. 1 remember very clcar1\- the 
tenor of his speech, in which he said in substance, that 
the troops of the Department of the South had been al- 

176 



JiATTl.l-: OK POCOTALIGO. 

together too long inacti\e; that the capture of Port Royal 
was intended to be l)iit the beginning of operations that 
should end in the capture of Charleston and Savannah; 
that now we should prepare ourselves to move upon the 
enemy's works. General Mitchell's speech was received 
with a great deal of satisfaction by all. 

General Alitchell's first move against the enemy (and 
it proved to be his last) was against the Charleston and 
Savannah railroad for the purpose of cutting communi- 
cations between those two cities. The object to be gain- 
ed by such a movement, since no preparations were made 
to follow up the advance, appeared at the time to be very 
indefinite, and has always been in my memory, very hazy. 
The advance w^as made, however, on Oct. 21, by a divi- 
sion of two brigades under the command of General 
Brannon, the 3rd R. L Artillery and a detachment of 
sailors from the gunboats with boat Howitzers, were ad- 
ded to the command. A boat Howitzer is a gun of small 
calibre, drawn by hand, and used by sailors when operat- 
ing on land. Our regiment was in the Second Brigade, 
with the /th Connecticut, the 97th and 76th Pennsylvania, 
and was commanded by General Alfred H. Terry, form- 
erly colonel of the 76th Connecticut. General Terry was 
one of the greatest of our generals who w^ent into the 
army from civil life. He won distinction on many battle- 
fields, but his name became famous through his capture 
of Fort Fisher in January 1865. He rose to the rank of 
major-general in the regular army, and continued in the 
service until his death in December, 1890. The expedi- 
tion was convoyed by several gunboats. 

On the evening of the 21st the troops were embarked 
on steamers and the fleet sailed up Broad River. The 3rd 
New Hampshire was on the steamer Boston; General 
Terry had made his headquarters upon this boat. The 
boat was crowded to its limit; the few state rooms we 
had were more than full, and many of the ofticers laid up- 

177 



RK.MIXISCEXCES OF Till': WAIl < H' Till': ItKl'.EMJOX 

on inallrcsscs iipt)n the lloor of tlie cabin. Almiit mid- 
night. General Terry caUed for a detail to make a land- 
ing at daylight, for the pnrpose of cutting off a rebel out- 
post, 'idle officer detailed to command this s(|uad of 
twelve men was l>ieut. S. .M. Smith of our regiment. Of 
Company A, Lieutenant Smith was an orig;inal character; 




GEN. ALFRED H. TERRY. 

although educated at Dartmouth college, the polish that 
is supposed to be taken on by a college g-raduate was not 
apparent ; he preferred to w ear the ])ri\'ate's uniform, in- 
cluding- the arm}' brogan, which is short for shoes, made 
more for service than for ornament. lie had not es- 
caped several re])rimands foi- bis jtersonal a])])earance. but 
he was a brax'e man, nexertheless. Mis name being sent 
lo General Terry, the general came into ihe cabin and 

178 



BATTLE OF POCOTALIGO. 

called for Lieutenant Smith. He was lying upon a mat- 
tress upon the tloor, and, as it happened, next to myself. 
The general came along with a map in his hand, and 
spread it upon the floor, pointing out to Lieutenant 
Smith the location of the optpost of the enemy that was 
to be captured, giving him detailed instructions as to 
where to land, and the road of approach. After the gen- 
eral had ninshed. Lieutenant Smith answered in his 
cpiaint and original way, "Yes, yes. General, I understand, 
I think— I am to land at this point," indicating it upon the 
map, "with my command. I am to take this road, follow 
it to this pont, when I shall be in the rear of the picket; 
but General, do you wish me to approach quietly, close 
in upon them gradually, and gobble them up, or do you 
want me to go in and raise hell and damnation ? " 

The general replied that if he would' gobble them up 
he might do it in his own way. The lieutenant succeeded 
in carrying out the general's orders, and when the troops 
landed from the steamer. Lieutenant Smith had his pris- 
oners read}' to turn over to the guard. Another detail 
from another regiment had been sent to capture another 
outpost and only 'succeeded in driving them back, thus 
giving information to the enemy of our approach. 

The little village of Pocotaligo was on the Charles- 
ton & Savannah railroad; a railroad bridge across the 
river at this pont was to be burned, and to accomplish 
this small l)undles of pitch pine were issued to the men of 
our regiment and to some of the other regiments. When 
the bridge was reached, the men were to light their fag- 
ots and throw them into or on to the bridge, and at the 
same time the railroad track \\'as to l^e destroved. The 
destroying of railroads had become quite an art in our 
arm_\' and \\as of almost exery day occurrence. A regi- 
ment or a brigade of men. more or less, were marched up 
to the track, and along the whole line, sometimes extend- 
ing for a mile or more. Each man would grasp the rail 

1/9 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

and wllli their conihincd strciii^th lifted llie track upon 
one side, and all tos^ether, o\er the track wonld g"o, sleep- 
ers and all. I'earini;- the rails from the slecjicrs, a fire 
would he made with the sleepers piled np, and across 
this pile the iron rails were placed; the intense heat bend- 
ing the rails and making them nseless. But the bridge 
at Pocotaligo and the railroad were yet to be reached. 

The troops were landed at McKay's Point on Broad 
River, at the intersection of Pocotaligo River. It was 8 




AllflLLLl.V IT.ACrUE WITH THE IMm.ur;l.N II.mTTZER BOAT OUN-LOADDJO. 



o'clock before our brigade had landed; the ist brigade, 
with several pieces of artillery, under command of Col- 
onel Chatfield, had already moved forward in the direc- 
tion of Pocotaligo. General Terry now put his column 
in motion, and we had not marched more than two or 
three miles, when artillery was heard in our front. 
General Brannon, who was in command of the expedition, 
had now arrived, and gave direction to General Terry to 
deploy his brigade to the right and left of the road, and 
move up to the support of Colonel Chatlield's brigade, 
which had now become hotly engaged with the enemy's 
artillery and infantry. Our regiment soon found itself im- 

i8o 



BATTLE OF POCOTALIGO. 

mediately in the rear of our battery where we were or- 
dered to lie down. This position was held for some time, 
the battery, in the meantime, giving the enemy grape and 
cannister over the heads of the ist brigade in our front. 
The shot and shell from the enemy flying over our heads, 
we escaped with few casualties. The troops of the ist 
brigade now made a charge upon the enemy's lines, fol- 
lowed by General Terry's brigade; the enemy were driven 
back quite a distance, I should say a mile or more, before 
making a stand. The screech of a locomotive could now 
be heard and the rumble of a railroad train, coming from 
the direction of Savannah, bringing reinforcements to the 
enemy. About this time the ammunition for the artillery 
had given out, and it being evident to General Brannon 
that an attempt to reach the railroad and burn the bridge 
would be useless, he ordered a retreat. 

While supporting the battery before the last advance 
I found propped up against a stump, badly wounded in 
the breast, a man whom I recognized as Ryle Kimball, of 
the 4th New Hampshire. He had been hit by a piece of 
shell from the enemy's battery. Ryle was a Nashua boy, 
living on Pearl Street before the war in the house next 
west of the old brick school house, and was one of my 
schoolmates in my childhood. I gave him water from my 
canteen, just as the advance was ordered. Upon our re- 
treat, when arriving at this point, I looked for him, in- 
tending to see him ofT the field, but he had already been 
taken care of and carried to the rear. He recovered from 
the wound and returned to Nashua. 

In our retreat, although we were not harassed by the 
enemy to any extent, the march of ten miles or more was 
a hard one, from early morning through the whole day we 
had been moving, and much of the time under fire. It 
was a long, wearisome march, the night before we had 
but little sleep, and it was long after dark 1)efore we ar- 
rived at the landing ])lace. I distinctly remember sev- 

181 



REINIINISCEXCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

eral times while marching along, of frilling asleep, to be 
awakened in the stnmbling. 

Arrixing back at McKay's Point late in the night, a 
bivouac was ordered, and there were rumors that the at- 
tack would be repeated on the following daw luirh' in 
the morning, however, the troops were reembarked and 
returned to Port Royal. 

The )ellow fever, which had uj) to this time been 
ke])t in subjection, had ncnv become epidemic and the hos- 
pitals \\ere being filled with the cases. On the 29th of the 
month, within a week of the time of the move upon Poco- 
taligo. General Mitchell, Colonel Brown of the 3rd Rhode 
Island, and several other officers were stricken with the 
disease, and died within two days. This created almost a 
panic, adding to the violence of the epidemic. My recol- 
lection is that I did not fear the disease very much, being 
in good, vigorous health, I felt that I should be exempt. 
This was \vorse than actual battle, the attack of '"Yellow 
Jack," so insidious, was far greater to l)e feared. The 
disease finally abated. The statistics of the losses by the 
disease, I have not at hand, and I do not remember. 

Active operations having practically ceased, the war 
dc])artment ordered that 10,000 troops from our dej^art- 
ment be sent to Virginia. This order, however, was mod- 
ified. In our regiment and in other regiments also, pe- 
titions were circulated and generalh' signed that we be 
sent Xorth for active service. Notwithstanding the ter- 
rors and horrors of l)attle, the .\rmy was never satisfied 
to remain idle: a large majority of the soldiers in\-ari- 
abl\^ were anxious to mo\e against the enemy. 

About this time I began to receive letters from my 
brother, Capt. C. I). Copp. from the .\rmv inX'irginia. He 
had enlisted a company at Nashua, or had hcl])cd in the 
enlistment, and had rcceix'ed a second lieutenant's com- 
mission, and was in the field with the ()th N. TI. Regi- 
ment, in less than two weeks from tlie time his regi- 

182 



BATTLE OF POCOTALIGO. 

nient left New ITampsliire it went through the terril)le 
Battle of Antietam. 

Lient. C. D. Copp. by meritorious service and dis- 
tinguished bravery, rose to the rank of captain, and had 

he been more aggressive 
his biilliant service through- 
out the war would have car- 
ried him to a much higher 
rank, h'or nearly four }'ears 
he was in the 9th army corps 
w hich has a record in history 
for its long marches and 
hard fought battles. Captain 
Copp was awarded a medal 
of honor by the V. S. con- 
gress for distinguished brav- 
ery at the Battle of Fred- 
ericksburg, where, \vhen the 
line was broken, the enemy 
coming down u])on them, the 
color bearer ha\ing been 
shot down, he seized the flag 
calling upon his men to rally, 
and they did rail)' ; forming 
a nucleus for nearly the 
whole regiment, and jiouring 
\olley after \'olle_\' into the 
ranks" of the enemy, checking for a time their advance. 
Captain Cop]) was in command of the color conijiany. this 
being the company to which the color guard is attached, 
and the most exposed position in the whole regiment, the 
enemy usually concentrating their tire u])on the flags; and 
what is more astounding, he escai)ed the shot and shell 
and bullets of the eneni}-. coming home without a scratch. 
Letters from those in acli\e ser\ice in the armies in 
\'irginia and reading from the nc\\s])a.pers wliich reached 




CAPT. C. D. COPP. 



r1':mixis(M':x("i-;s (U- 'imiio war oi-" tiii<] rioiii^m.iox 

us frciii llic Xorili. of the m()^■ements of the Aniu' of the 
Potomac, and tlic armies of the west, empliasi/.ed the feel- 
ing- that we were not doing om- part. The failure of the 
operations thus far against Charleston had a depressing 
effect upon the troops. Looking at the situation froiu 
this distance, it would appear that the operations against 
Charleston up to that time had been a failure from the 
incompetence of the commanding generals. It may be. 
however, that such a view is from the standpoint of "what 
might have l)een," antl it is reasonable to say that the 
failures may have been due to the natural result of con- 
conditions l)e}'ond control. 

From our camp ground upon the blufT overlooking 
the ocean, we could catch first sight of the steamers coiu- 
ing froiu the North. First, the tiny cloud of smoke ris- 
ing from the horizon, gradually increasing in volume, un- 
til the outlines of the steamer came into view. The first 
sight of the steamer was a signal for a hurrah from the 
])oys all through the camps, ''A steamer is coming, a 
steamer is coming." Fach steaiuer alwa\'s brought a 
large mail, express packages, and frequently boxes of 
eatables. In one of my letters from home I had been told 
to expect a box ; 1 enjoyed the anticipation of it for two 
or three weeks, wlien it finally arri\ed. With the happi- 
ness of a child I opened the box. and I could ha\"e cried 
like a child, if I did not, when 1 found the contents con- 
sisting of mince ])ies. chielly, were ruined, having been 
so long on the waw This was one of the great disappoint- 
ments of m\ life. 



>^4 



CHAPTER XV. 




Active Operations Against Charleston Begin. 

pi 

'he steamer Arago had arrived from the North 
^:<^^ bringing the usual large mail, and especially 
important mail for me, for it brought my first 
commission as Second Lieutenant with quite a 
number of commissions for other officers receiv- 
ing promotions. There were several who received com- 
missions at this time who had served in the ranks either 
as ])rivates or non-commissioned officers. These young 

men proved themselves to 
be made of the right stuff 
and their merits had been 
recognized. David Wads- 
worth, a Nashua boy, who 
was one of the sergeants of 
Company F, appointed by 
Captain Randlett, received 
liis commission as Second 
Lieutenant. David Wads- 
worth was one of the men 
who as a soldier antl officer 
could always be counted on. 
By his superior courage and 
al)ility, he rose through the 
\-arious grades to the rank of 
Captain. He went through 
all the battles in which our regiment took part, but was 
one of the fortunate ones who escaped the casualities of 
battle. Captain W adsworth was one of the best known 




Lieut. DAVID WADSWORTH. 



RK-Mk\lS(.'EX('ES OF Till-] WAR ( >K TllK RFLJFLLK )X 

citizens for some \'ears after tlie \\ ar. remoxino- to ^^lan- 
chaster some time in the So's. ,^i\in^- faitliful ser\ ice to 
liis conntv as jailer, and is at the i)resent time a respected 
citizen of ^^lanchester. 

Sergeant D. j. J^'hinders, also one of Com])any V?> 
original sergeants, familiarh- known as Jack hdanders. 
who before had been appointed Second Lieutenant, now 
received his promotion to Llrst Lieutenant. A good sol- 
dier and now one of Nashua's well known citizens. 

George Stearns, another of C^ompany F's original 
sergeants, brother of the late Henry Stearns of Nashua, 
received his commission as First Lieutenant. lie was a 
brave soldier, rettirning to Nashua at the end of three 
vears' service as captain of his company. 

A\"il]iam Ladd Dodge, then a private of Com])any !'>. 
who had sticceeded m}'self in the adjutant's otfice as clerk 
now succeeded me as Sergeant ALijor. Sergeant Major 
Dodge proved himself to be a good soldier and won his 
wav to a captaincy before the close of the \\'ar. He is 
now one of the leading citizens of Brookline. 

The promotion of enlisted men to officers and offi- 
cers to a higher rank, was the occasion for a jollification 
in camp. Every individual officer promoted l)y the un- 
written law of camp etiquette, must furnish entertainment 
to everv other officer; the ammunition for these entertain- 
ments coming, not from the (Ordnance Department, but 
from the Conunissary, and this occasion was no excep- 
tion Jt is unnecessary for me to go into details of the 
festivities'. Some things must be left to the imaginatior. 

A\'hile the several regiments \\ere in the regular I'. 
S. service, commissions for officers were issued b\' the 
governors of the states, usually ujion the recommendation 
of the colonel commanding. The commission haxing 
been received, the oflicer must a])pear 1)efore a commis- 
sioned officer of the regular army to be mustered into the 
United States service: this is done by the officer making 

t86 




Adjutant E. j. COPP. 



ACTIVE OPERATIONS AGAINST CHARLESTON BEGIN 

a formal oath to obey the Liws of the United States and 
the orders of his superior officers, etc., etc. 

My commission was a long looked for prize and was 
received with no little pride and elation; I was then i8 
years of age, the youngest commissioned officer in the 
regiment, and it later proved that I was the youngest offi- 
cer in the whole army so far as could be ascertained, who 
had risen from the rank of private. I do not know that 
there was any special honor in this, there were many offi- 
cers less than 21 years of age, and I hope I shall not be 
holden responsible for it. I would have been born earlier 
if I could have had my way. I fully realized at the time 
that in the matter of promotion my age was against me. 
By regimental orders read upon dress parade by the 
Adjutant that afternoon I was assigned to Company B. 
I should have chosen Company F, my old company, if 
there had been a vacancy, but it was not a matter of 
choice and I was ordered to report to the commanding 
officer of Company B for duty. 

My promotion from a non-commissioned officer to a 
commissioned officed called for a radical change in uni- 
form. ^ This involved an expense of $75.00 to $100.00 
for uniform, sword and equipments; these I immediately 
ordered; if my memory is correct, the uniform was made 
by William T. Parker, tailor, of Nashua, who at that time 
had his store in the old Exchange building on Main street, 
the building next north of the Goodrich block. Colonel 
Jackson very accommodatingly supplied the sword, belt 
and sash and shoulder-straps for a consideration. Until 
the arrival of my uniform I used my Sergeant-Major's 
uniform, having the shoulder-straps put on to indicate 
the rank. 

The matter of rank with army officers and with ambi- 
tious men in the ranks is of supreme importance, to be 
fought for frequently not only in the face of the enemy 
but also through the channel of red tape and political in- 

189 



RK.MIXISCENCKS OF THK WAR OF THK RFUFLl.IoX 

ilucncc. The rank of officers is indicated 1)_\' the shoulder- 
strai)s, while the rank of noii-connnissioned officers is in- 
dicated by chevrons or stripes upon each arm of the coat 
sleeve. I ha\e written of this before, but to make it more 
specific I will add in detail. The shoulder-strap of the 
Second-Lieutenant of infantry is a ])lain strap of blue 
cloth of about one and onc-cpiarter inches l)y three and 
one-half inches, \\ith a raised l)ulli()n edge of about one- 
cjuarter inch wide ; that of Inrst Lieutenant, the same 
with one bar across each end of the strap; that of Cap- 
tain, two bars; of Major, a gold leaf at each end; of 
Lieutenant-Colonel, a raised bullion eagle in the centre ; 
Lieutenant-Colonel, a silver leaf on each end; of Colonel 
a raised bullion eagle in the center of the strap; of Brig- 
adier-General, a gold star in the center of the strap; of 
Major General, a gold star at each end of the strap; of 
Lieutenant-General, three gold stars, one each end and one 
in the center. The different arms of the service is indi- 
cated by different color of the strap and chevron, except 
that the straps of general officers are always of dark blue; 
the Lifantry is of blue; Artillery red; Cavalry yellow. 

The non-commissioned officers are appointed by the 
Colonel from among the enlisted men of the regiment. 
Their rank is indicated l)y stripes u])()n the sleexes, the 
Sergeant-Major having three stripes, one within the 
other, in shape of the half diamond with an arch over 
each strap; the Ouartermaster-Sergeant, same as Ser- 
geant -Major, except with a straight bar, instead of the 
arch ; the Hospital Steward, a stripe diag"onally across 
the arm with a Caduccus in the centre. Xon-commis- 
sioned officers of com|)anies are appointed b\- the Cap- 
tain connnanding, and are a i)art of the rank and file so 
called. The first or Orderly-Sergeant has upon his sleeve 
three stripes in the sliajie of a half-diamond, one within 
the other, with a small full diamond in the opening of the 
stripes; the chevron of a Sergeant, the same as that of 

190 



ACTIVE OPERATIONS AGAINST CHARLESTON BEGIN 

ail Orderly-Sergeant, but without the diamond; that of 
Corporal, the same as a Sergeant with two stripes only. 

The captain of Company B, Captain Wilbur, was un- 
der arrest at this time, for conduct "prejudicial to good 
order and military discipline." He was court-martialled 
a few weks later, and dishonorably discharged. Of 
courts-martial I shall have more to say at another time. 

The First Lieutenant of Company B, to whom I re- 
ported, was detailed on that very day for detached ser- 
vice, leaving the command of the company to me the first 
day after I received my commission. In the routine duty 
of camp, the company must be drilled for two hours in 
the morning — here was a problem. I had seen no service 
wdiatever in any company, and was not up on company 
drill; the men of the company understood the situation as 
well as I did, so far as my experience was concerned, and it 
was currently reported that they would have some fun 
with the little Lieutenant on company drill the next 
morning. Fortunately I proved equal to the situation. I 
knew that the company had been given very little skir- 
mish drill. Nearly all that night before, I studied my tac- 
tics, particularly skirmish drill, until I had a fair under- 
standing of it, and had made myself familiar with some of 
the movements. The time for drill came — the drill call 
sounded, I put on my uniform and sword, walked down 
into the company street, where the company had been 
formed by the Orderly-Sergeant. When he formally 
turned the company over to me, I thought I understood 
the smile that went along the line. I gave the command, 
and out we marched on to the drill ground. For two 
hours I put the company through the skirmish drill, and 
with many reprimands for their mistakes. As some of the 
boys remarked later, it w^as the hottest kind of a drill they 
liad ever been put through. I evidently established my- 
self wnth the company on this my first day with them and 
had no trouble from that time on. 

193 



i:i:.Mi.\"iF<Kx;'r:s of tiik war of the rebrlliox 



It was now Januarw iS^)^, and gettinj;' quite cold. W e 
were sur|)riscd one morning- to lind the ground white with 
snow, and snow -bah ing was indulged in by the boys, 
something of \ cry rare occurrence in South Carolina. 

On the 31st of January, a fleet of transports sailed 
up into Port Royal Harbor with 10,000 trc:>ops on board, 
under connnand of dencral John G. Foster, (our Nashua 

General Foster) 
ha\ing been sent 
^ , from Xortli Car- 

olina by the War 
Department to 
reinforce the ar- 
my of General 
Hunter. Upon 
the decease of 
General Mitchell 
General Hunter 
had been again 
assigned to the 
command of the 
Department of 
the South. 

Soon after the 
arrixal of Gen- 
eral Foster with 
his troops, an is- 
sue arose be- 
tween the two 
commanding generals. General Hunter and General Fos- 
ter, as to senioritN- of r.ank. General Hunter ordering the 
corjjs. General booster, insisting upon retaining the identity 
of his, the 18th army corps, and preparations for a for- 
ward movement came to a standstill. General I'oster 
proceeding to \\ ashingion [o ha\e the matter settled by 
the W ar Department. 

194 




GEN. JOHN G. FOSTER. 



ACTIVE OPERATIONS AGAINST CHARLESTON BEGIN 

Up to this time the negro ex-slaves had only been 
useful as helpers and workers on the entrenchments, and 
in the quartermaster's department handling stores, also 
as servants to officers, but now they were to be organized 
as soldiers, and the first regiment of negro troops that was 
ever enlisted was organized here at Port Royal as the ist 
South Carolina Volunteers, ten companies of eighty men 
in each company, and officered wholly by white men, non- 
commissioned officers of the different regiments in the 
department, sergeants and corporals being commissioned 
as captains and lieutenants of the colored troops, the field 
officers, colonels, lieutenant-colonels and majors being 
commissioned from the commissioned officers of the va- 
rious regiments who were deserving and willing to take 
such a command. This was wholly an experiment, but 
proved to be surprisingly successful. 

The negroes and ex-slaves were naturally under a 
rigid discipline and they surprised the white troops by 
their courage in the face of the enemy. Other colored 
regiments were formed, not only in the South as Union 
troops, but in the North as well, and as a rule they gave 
a good account of themselves. The 54th Massachusetts 
regiment was a colored regiment organized in Boston, 
under the command of Colonel Shaw, and distinguished 
itself at Fort Wagner, but of this I shall have more to 
say later. 

Some time in February there came into our camp 
five white women, wives of officers of our regiment, Mrs. 
Plimpton, wife of Colonel Plimpton; Mrs. Randlett, 
wife of Captain Randlett; Mrs. D. J. Flanders, wife of 
Lieutenant Flanders; Mrs. Clark, wife of Captain Clark; 
and Mrs. Libby, wife of Adjutant Libby, these officers 
having returned from the North on a leave of absence, 
bringing their wives with them for a visit. These ladies 
were the first white women that we had seen since leav- 
ing Fortress Monroe on the Sherman expedition in 1861. 

195 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

The women of the U. S. Sanitary Commission, who 
through the War were such a blessing to the soldier in 
the field, had not made their appearance in our depart- 
ment, the armies in Virginia and in the West demanding 
all of their attention up to this time. 

From the beginning of the War, there was an intense 
feeling throughout the North against Charleston, South 
Carolina; here secession had its inception, it was here that 
the first gun was fired upon our flag, and it was deter- 
mined to capture this "hot bed of secession." As it has 
been before stated, this was one of the objects of the Port 
Royal expedition, but so far, no great progress had been 
made, each commanding general believing that his forces 
were insufficient, and the reply of the government at 
Washington to his application for more troops was that 
they could not be taken from the armies of Virginia, the 
real seat of war. 

A revolution had taken place in naval warfare and 
the construction of war vessels ; the iron-clad Monitor, in- 
vented by Ericson, had fought its first battle in Hampton 
Roads, sinking the rebel ram Merrimack. Following this, 
other war vessels of the monitor type were pushed for- 
ward to completion, and sent to Port Royal, to co-operate 
with the army in the capture of Charleston. It was be- 
lieved that these little but formidable warships were in- 
vincible, that they could silence the guns of Fort Sumter 
and other defences of Charleston and sail up to the 
wharves of the city. The whole North believed this and 
looked hopefully for its consumation. 

These vessels had begun to arrive and anchor in 
Port Royal harbor and had created a great sensation. I 
went on board of one — the boys called them a raft with a 
cheese box, having as much that appearance as anything, 
a more uncomfortable vessel for officers and sailors could 
not be well imagined ; the cjuartcrs for both officers and 
men being cramped, dark and dingy. Everytliing was be- 

196 








'^'-n.^^ 



CTATUTt MILES 

1 f\ 

NAUTICAL MILES ■ 

i— 4 



iBOWl»C TMC POtlTIOIrtir IHC SlI^Kt H SHIPS 










MAP OF THIS HAEBOB AND CITT OF GHAKLESTOIT, S, C. 



ACTIVE OPERATION'S AGAINST CHARLESTON BEGIN 

low the water line except the flat iron clad deck, a few 
inches above the water and the turret with the guns, two 
guns in each tin-ret; the guns were monstrous, carrying a 
shell 15 inches in diameter, and it surely appeared that 
nothing could stand against them. 

The weak points in the construction of the Monitor 
type of war-ships was demonstrated in the attack upon 




LOSS OFTHE ORIGINAL MONITOR. 

Tliif: woliilerful little war slup went down in a teirilic sloini cil't llatteras. 
Dee. .31. 18G2, carrying down with it nearly all of tho brave otticers and 
crew, who fought the world famous battle with the Rebel Kani Mer- 
riniac in Hampton Roads but a few months before. 

the rebel forts in Charleston harbor, A])ril 7, 1803, and the 
whole country g-reatly disappointed in the results, 
'i'hrough all the years since the war, the monitors have 
been considered as obsolete, and those used at Cliarkston, 
long since w^ent into the scrap hea]); yet. strangely 
enough, in the evolution of the battleshi]\ the engineers 
and builders of war vessels^are now tr.rning their atten- 

199 



REMlNISOENrKS OF TlIK WAR oK THE REBELLION 

tioii to a niodificd and improved t}'pe of the monitor. 
Ivear Admiral G. F. l'\ Wilde of onr navy who commanded 
the "Kathadin" dnring the war with Spain, declares that 
the semi-submarine is the coming type of battleship; this 
would be a modified monitor, the ''Kathadin" being a 
combination of the submarine and torpedo boat. 

The man-of-war of the new British navy has the hull 
of our old monitor, improved by being more hea\ ily ar- 
mored, and having turrets at bow and stern, and whereas 
the decks of the old Monitor were fiat the decks of the 
new English warship are curved, and pierced for small 
guns to repel torpedo boats. 

Early in April, and this was in 1863, Folly island at 
the entrance to Charleston harbor was seized by our 
troops and fortified. This was done without opposition, 
no works of the enemy having been encountered upon 
this island. On April 6, the navy had rendezvoused and 
anchored at the entrance to the harbor, out of range of 
the guns of Sumter. Fort Moultrie and other rebel works 
of defence. 

Sixteen thousand troops were now assend)led on Fol- 
ly island, and upon transports anchored in the Stono ri\'cr 
and in the immediate vicinity. Our regiment, the 3rd 
New Hampshire, was upon two schooners, one of which 
^vas an unseaworthy hulk, springing a leak on the way u]:> 
and lively work had to be done to keep it from going to 
the bottom. The plan was for a combined attack by the 
army and navy, our warships were to silence the guns up- 
on Morris island and other rebel works in the harbor, the 
troops to immediately follow up this advantage. 

Jt w\as on the morning of the 7th of April. Anchored 
at the entrance of Charleston harbor, well out of range of 
the enemy's guns lay the now licet of iron-clads. The new 
Ironsides, the fiagship of the tlect. not of the Monitor 
pattern nor of the (dd t\])c man-of-war, but iron-clad with 
fourteen 11 -inch guns, and two I50-])oun(lcr rifle guns. 

J 00 



I 



Jiii *■'» 
mm 




ACTIVE OPERATIONS AGAINST CHARLESTON BEGIN 

The monitors Montank, Passaic. W'eehawken, Patapsco, 
Catskill, Nantucket, Xahant and Keokuk, with their tre- 
mendous 15-inch guns were waiting like the bull dogs of 
war that they were, tugging at their chains, the order to 
move upon the enemy. From our position we could also 
see further out to the outer entrance to the harbor, the 
mass of sunken vessels known as the Stone fleet, a large 
number of old vessels of all descriptions that had been 
bought by our government, filled with stones, sent here 
and sunk in the channel to obstruct the way of blockade 
runners. There also lay, here and there, the ships of the 
blockading fleet, with steam up, ready to move upon the 
instant to seize any lurking British blockade runner. 

Yet the sunken ^■essels of the Stono fleet and the 
greatest vigilance of our blockading vessels, failed to pre- 
vent all blockade runners from entering Charleston and 
through the war the enemy was supplied with war ma- 
terial largely by British blockade runners getting into 
this port. 

In the direction of Charleston we could see Morris Is- 
land, next to Folly Island, bristling wnth the guns of the 
enemy. Further on some miles away. Fort Sumter loom- 
ed up in the center of the harbor; across northward was 
Fort Moultrie, and to the southward was James island, 
all fortified with the enemy's guns, and wnth the Stars 
and Bars, otherwise known as the rebel flag, floating over 
their works. A beautiful morning this 7th of April, and 
the eyes of the whole country were looking to Charleston. 



20 • 



CHAPTER XVI. 




Naval Attack Upon Charleston — Our Camp at Botany 

Bay Island. 



NE of the most notable battles in history was 
the attack by our navy upon the forts in Char- 
leston harbor. Our whole country and the 
whole world were looking on. It was the first 
battle of iron-clad ships with forts and land bat- 
teries, and the first great test of the force of the rifled gun 
versus resistance of the armor plate, and this great con- 
test has been going on from that day to this, in the con- 
struction of guns of heavy calibre and of iron clad ships of 
war. The vulnerability of the armor plates of the war- 
ships had kept pace with the increasing force of the heav- 
iest projectiles, until now the victory is with the modern 
1 2-inch rifle gun, whose looo-pound shot pierces the heav- 
iest armor plate. 

Admiral Dupont with his fleet of iron-clads was now 
ready for the attack. On the afternoon of the 7th of April 
the order was given by signal flags displayed upon the 
flagship, the new Ironsides, for the fleet to move up to the 
attack. At 3 o'clock the first monitor moved up into the 
harbor, followed by the whole fleet, one after the other, 
the new Ironsides in the center. 

AYhen the leading monitor came within range of Fort 
Moultrie, the Confederate flag was seen to go up to the 
top of the flag staff on this fort, and a salute of thirteen 
guns, was fired from the rebel forts, with shotted guns. 
The fire was returned by our monitors, when the whole 
"harbor blazed forth a gigantic hail of shot and shell, the 

205 



RK.MIXISCEXCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLIOX 

guns of the enemy concentrating their lire upon the mon- 
itors, at first without apparent efi'ect. The turrets upon 
each of our monitors turning- by their wonderful mechan- 
ism until their portholes gave range to their gunners, 
opened their fire one after another with ii-inch, 13- 
incli and 1 5-inch shells, directing their guns chiefly upon 
Fort Sumter; less frequently a shot would be fired at 
Moultrie to the north of Sumter, then Morris Island to 
the south. The huge 15-inch shells are not now used by 
modern guns; their size can be understood when it is 
known that one of them would fill a bushel basket. 
When one of these tremendous shots struck the brick 
walls of Sumter, the works would be seen to crumble, 
sending huge clouds of brick dust into the air. The 
smoke from the guns, both our own and that of the 
enemy, now settling down, now rising as from a huge vol- 
cano. 

The enemy had placed mines and other obstructions 
in the harbor, or it was so believed by Commodore Du- 
pont, although it is claimed that the mines were mythical, 
so far as the channel was concerned. Months before, the 
enemy had placed buoys in the harbor at different points 
of approach, and their gunners had had long practice, so 
that in this attack, when the monitors came within range 
of these buovs their perfect range told with fearful efTect. 

Some of the officers of the fleet in describing the bat- 
tle, said that the shot and shells could be seen like foot- 
balls of the giants. 

A large percent of the shot from the enemy's guns 
would be deflected, glancing off when striking the armor 
plates, but a large number striking point blank penetrated 
the decks of the monitors, some striking the plate 
closing the portholes of the turret, some with such tre- 
mendous force as to stop the working of the turret, while 
one. the Keokuk, a double turreted monitor, was penetra- 
ted I)clow the water line, and sunk off Morris Island beacli 

206 



NAVAL ATTACK UPON CHARLESTON 

where later, after our capture of Morris Island, we could 
see it every day at low tide. 

After forty-five minutes of this terrible bombarding, 
Commodore Dupont seeing- the impossibility of continuing 
the fight, signalled the commanders to withdraw their 
vessels. The new Ironsides during this time had anchored 
within range of the guns of Sumter, just ofi: Morris Is- 



G IS U ■: •''. 'i 



I ' i! " ifl III '[J i III iii'iii'[ 



i i i! i J 1 J'ilin3 5!Jiiiri;i 





FORT SUMTER IN 1861. 

land, and by chance unwittingly dropped their anchor over 
a large mine, placed there by the enemy, but by some im- 
perfection of the wires, the rebel ofificer in Fort Wagner 
who had charge of the works, found it impossible to ex- 
plode the mine, thus saving the flagship and all its crew 
from being blown into eternity; their flagship weighing 
anchor, moved out with the monitors from under fire. 



207 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

During" Ihc light, the new Ironsides was struck nine- 
ty-five times, and without material damage. The Keokuk 
was struck ninety times, and all of the other monitors re- 
ceiving the shock of from fifty to eighty projectiles. It 
was the intention of Admiral Dupont when he gave the 
order to withdraw, to renew the fight on the following 
day, but it was found that his vessels were so crippled he 
decided not to take the chance of turning a defeat into a 
disaster. 

The total number of our guns upon the fleet was 33; 
the number of the enemy's guns was 74, of all calibres. 
Upon Fort Sumter, 33; Fort Moultrie, 21; Sullivan's Is- 
land, 10; Morris Island, 10. The whole number of shots 
fired by our fleet was 151 ; the whole number fired by the 
enemy, 2209, and of this number 520 struck our warships. 

The importance of this battle Avas not gauged by its 
casualities, the loss of life was comparatively small upon 
our side. In the turret of the Nahant, the commander, 
John Downs, was in the pilot house w'ith the pilot and 
quartermaster, when it was struck by a shot from Sumter, 
which killed the quartermaster, badly wounding the pilot, 
the commander escaping. In many instances the bolts 
of the armor plate flew savagely through the interior of 
the ships when the vessel was struck by the enemy's shot 
and shell, killing and wounding many through the fleet. 

General Flunter urged upon Admiral Dupont to re- 
new the attack upon the works upon Morris Island, and 
under the fire of his guns he w^ould land his army and take 
possession, but this he claimed was impossible, that very 
morning having received from the secretary of war at 
Washington orders by a special messenger to proceed im- 
mediately following his attack upon Charleston, with all 
of his ships that were not disabled, to New Orleans. 
Quite a warm discussion between General Hunter and 
Admiral Dupont followed. To General Hunter the situa- 
tion was clear that Admiral Dupont could act; his com- 

208 



:'::a^^^^^^^ 



zr7^ 




I 













i 






1-4 



^,. 



NAVAL ATTACK UPON CHARLESTON 

mand was ready and anxious to make the advance, but 
without the co-operation of the navy it was too hazard- 
ous a move to make. Following this, the naval vessels 
were withdrawn and the troops remained inactive for 
some days in their camps upon Folly Lsland and on board 
the transports; we of the 3rd regiment still upon the 
schooners in cramped and imcomfortable (piarters. 




Repair shops for our war vessels had been established 
at Port Royal, and here the damaged monitors were sent 
for repairs. These repair shops were upon two vessels of 
the Stono Fleet that had been reserved for that purpose, 
and were anchored in Port Royal harbor, opposite Hilton 
Head. William H. Flynn of Nashua at one time was fore- 
man of these shops. Mr. Flynn had come to Hilton Head 
as a clerk in the quartermaster or ordnance department 
as a civilian employe. His skill as a mechanic had become 

211 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

known and he was transferred from a clerkship to the re- 
pair shop. Although not enlisted in the army or navy, he 
served his country and served it well in this capacity. 

It appears that it was two old whaling vessels that had 
been diverted by the authorities from the hulks that were 
sunk at the entrance to Charleston harbor. These ships 
were brought to Port Royal, anchored, and lashed togeth- 
er with chains, roofed in, and in which a machine shop, 
blacksmith shop, tin shop, pattern shop, boiler shop, and a 
brass foundry were established. The workmen in these 
shops slept in hammocks swung under the roof; the cook- 
ing was done in the galleys of the old whaler. 

Following the naval attack, the troops were sent to 
different points in the department; our regiment being 
first sent to Hilton Head, then upon the last of the montli 
we were ordered to Botany Bay Island, upon the Edisto 
River, My memorv of Botany Bay Island is chiefly of the 
discomforts of our camp in the way of insect pests — wood- 
ticks, snakes, huge spiders and unnamable crawling things, 
and the difticulties of making our camp, the uneven 
ground, in part being the remains of an old rebel fort, 
stumps, dead trees and underbrush, all together making it 
a most forbidding place. There was, however, upon the 
island quite an extensive growth of hard pine, live oak. 
cypress, palmetto and magnolia trees. 

With all of our services up to this time, except our 
James Island campaign, we had experienced but little of 
the hardships of the soldier's life ; the real campaigning 
was yet to come. Here upon Botany Bay we had for 
some weeks the usual camp duties. 

I remember Botany Bay also from the fact of my be- 
ing detailed for the first time by the colonel as acting ad- 
jutant of the regiment. Adjutant Lil)by being detailed as 
acting assistant adjutant general, upon Colonel Jackson's 
staff, who was in command of the post, Lieutenant Col- 
onel Bedel being in command of the regiment, 

212 





1 m 



NAVAL ATTACK UPON CHARLESTON 

It was here, too, that a court-martial was convened 
to try one of our captains, who had been placed under ar- 
rest under the charge of sleeping upon his post w^hen in 
command of the picket-guard. I was detailed upon the 
court-martial and as judge advocate. It was a new and 
untried duty for me, and from subsequent knowledge of 
something of the importance of such a position, it appears 
in my reminiscence of the conditions, that I w^as eminently 
unfitted for such a position, and the strange part of it 
would ai)pear to be, that Colonel Jackson, who convened 
the court, should not have selected one older and of more 
experience. 

It so happened that Colonel Bedel who had proved 
himself most friendly and ready to stand by me in all my 
difficulties, was a lawyer by profession and by his help I 
sustained myself upon this occasion, he helping me 
through the proceedings of the court and in making up my 
report. 

The captain on trial was found guilty, but with ex- 
tenuating circumstances, the court recommending a tem- 
porary arrest and reprimand. This captain, whom it is un- 
necesary to name, though I may say that he was not a 
Nashua man, proved himself to be one of the bravest offi- 
cers in our regiment; twice wounded, and finally .killed 
at Drury's Bluff. 

A court-martial as its name indicates is a court for 
the enforcement of discipline in the army, for the trial of 
cases of violation of military law exclusively, and may be 
convened b}^ the President, Avho is commander-in-chief of 
the army and navy, commanding generals, and by colon- 
els of regiments in cases affecting their commands only. 
Courts-martial are made up of officers detailed for the 
purpose, the number being four or more, according to the 
cases for trial; a president of the court who presides, a 
judge-advocate who presents the cases, and is also the 
recorder of proceedings; a drum-head court-martial is 

2T5 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

called in emergencies requiring immediate action; it geis 
its name from the supposed use of a drum as a court ta- 
ble upon which to do the business. We had a drum-head 
court-martial in our regiment when in Florida, for the 
trial of a deserter. Recruits had been sent to us from 
the north, and there were always more or less bounty 
jumpers, called so from having received a large bounty 
to enlist, then took the hrst opportunity to desert, find- 
ing their way to the North to again enlist, to receive an- 




'm 



"TT--^' ' fe^^>^ U-j^"*A>:^'~-r^^^^=iti':' 



NEW IRONSIDES AND MONITOR. 

Other bounty. We had numerous desertions of this kind: 
Colonel Plimpton was in command of the regiment, and 
was the kind of an officer who could not be trifled with. 
He determined to put a stop to desertions. One night he 
secretly placed the second picket line outside of the first. 
During the night, a recruit escaped from camp, found 
his way through the first picket line, and approached a 
post of the second or outside picket line, supposing it to 
be that of the enemy. When challenged he replied "Hul- 
loa, Johnnies, I am a Yank and am coming over to your 

216 



NAVAL ATTACK UPON CHARLESTON 

side." "All right" the sentinel said, "come on," falling 
easily into the trap. He was immediately taken into 
camp, and to Colonel Plimpton's tent. 

The colonel was awakened, the officer making his re- 
port of the capture of the deserter. The colonel imme- 
diately ordered a court-martial; it was then about mid- 
night. The officers detailed organized the court and the 
prisoner was brought before them. Short work was made 
of the trial, the evidence was direct and there was no de- 
fence. 

The prisoner was declared guilty of desertion, and 
under the rules of war and military law, he was sentenced 
to be shot. The report was made within an hour to Col- 
onel Plimpton, when he ordered that he should be shot 
at sunrise, and in the presence of the whole command, the 
sentence was executed; the man was shot and buried 
within less than six hours from the time he left camp. 
Colonel Plimpton then made a full report of the affair to 
the department commander, asking that the proceedings 
of the court-martial and the sentence be approved. AVe 
had no more desertions in our regiment for many months. 

Leaves of absence to officers and furloughs to en- 
listed men were granted from time to time for various 
causes, usually on account of continued ill health, when 
they would go home to New Hampshire for a short stay, 
and frequently officers would be sent home upon recruit- 
ing service, so that officers and men were going and com- 
ing continually. There was also a continual call for 
passes from the colonel commanding for limited absence 
from hours to several days. Officers and men were also 
detailed from the regiment for special duty apart from 
the regiment, some times at the brigade or division head- 
quarters, officers were also detailed as aides on the staff of 
some one of the commanding generals, men were also 
detailed from the ranks as clerks and orderlies at the dif- 
ferent headquarters. 

217 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

There were also men detailed for cooks and their as- 
sistants for the (litferent companies and at regimental, 
brigade and division headqnarters. These details were 
frequently so large and the number of men who were un- 
fit for duty from sickness and from wounds, in camp and 
in hospitals, that the fighting force in the ranks would be 
reduced to perhaps 50 percent of the aggregate numl)cr 
upon the roll. 

While in camp for any length of time, ])unks would 
be built in the tents, if lumber could be found, and this 
was the case at Botany Bay, and for of^cers' tents floors 
would be laid and a framework constructed, over which 
the wall tent would be drawn making it more substan- 
tial; in the construction of the framework, not forgetting 
a shelf to run around the interior. Frequently a limited 
number of pieces of furniture, chairs and wash stands, 
etc., Avould be found at abandoned plantations and brought 
into camp. Here at Botany Bay frequent raids were 
made upon adjacent islands, and the spoils brought back 
to camp. Wild game was found occasionally, deer, gray 
squirrels, plover, which added materially to our rations. 

Every steamer from the North brought more or less 
civilians, visitors to the different camps, sutlers, govern- 
ment agents, men of the sanitary commission and others. 
While at Hilton Head our camp was visited by Dr. Locke, 
one of Nashua's most patriotic citizens, who through the 
War did all in his power to support the soldier in the field. 
He was most welcome in our regiment, and was given 
a hearty welcome. 

George E. Wheat of Nashua also came to Port 
Royal; he was my personal friend and old-time school- 
mate; a most welcome visitor. It was his purpose to en- 
list in Captain Randlett's compan}- at the beginning of the 
war, but parental authority was too much for him. al- 
though he did go into camp at Concord and was for a 
time clerk in Captain Randlett's (piarters. His patriotic 

218 



instincts were strong, and that he did not serve his conn- 
try throngh the war as a soldier, was no fanlt of his. A 
Mr. Moore, of Concord, a photographer, came to onr 
camp at Hilton Head and took many photographs, sev- 
eral of which appear in this volnme. 

In the gronp of Company F, our Nashua company, 
the faces of the boys now grown old and grizzled, may be 
seen, few of whom are still living 




SHUmi SHELL 



219 



CHAPTER XVII. 




The Capture of Morris Island. 

^[j T. HELENA Island was the new headquarters for 
the department of the South. A larger part of the 
army was here concentrated, and with the under- 
standing that a new movement against Charleston 
was soon to be made. The several weeks in camp 
here was quite a part of the sunny side of the 

soldiers' life. The 
duties of camp were 
all of a pleasant kind, 
the rations were of 
the best, and some- 
thing unusual, ex- 
tensive bakeries had 
been established at 
Hilton Head, a few 
miles away and were 
now supplying the 
army with fresh soft 
l)read. 

The soil of this 

island is alluvial. 

fresh vegetables and 

fruits quite abund- 

dant, raised by the 

Gen. GEORGE E. STRONG. uegrocs. Although 

the weather was exceedingly hot, the thermometer ranging 

from 90 to no, it was relieved by the sea breeze, our 

camp being so situated that we received the full benefit of 

221 




REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

it. In the reorganization of the lOth army corps, the 
lrt)c)ps in this department being so designated, General 
George C Strong was assigned to the connnand of onr 
1)rigade. General Strong was a model soldier, a good 
disciplinarian, and here under his command we had bri- 
gade drills. 

At this time General Ouincy A. Gilmore, who had 
been chief engineer of the department and who had won- 
derful skill, reduced the rebel fort Pulaski at the mouth of 
the Savannah River, from guns erected upon Tybee Is- 
land, two miles away. General Gilmore was now^ assigned 
to the command of the department relieving General 
Hunter. 

The penalty of defeat with the generals of our w^ar 
was not always disgrace, nor often dismissal, but the fail- 
ure to meet with success in one field meant the transfer 
to another command. General Hunter was now relieved 
from a department in which he had not met with suc- 
cess expected of him. and was transferred to ^^irginia. 
Tn the army of the Potomac. General Hunter was more 
successful, and proved himself to be one of our able ma- 
jor-generals in the operations under General Grant. On 
the 14th of the month. General Hunter and his staf¥ left 
for the North on the steamer Arago. and on the same 
steamer was Lieutenant Smith of our regiment, who had 
resigned his commission because, as he thought, he had 
not been recognized in the way of promotion, and there 
was also on the same ship. Captain ^^'^ilbur of Company 
P>, who had been court-martialed and dishonorably dis- 
charged from the service. 

It was now the i6th of June. 1863. the anniversary of 
the battle of James Island, and on this day, the T6th. the 
Rebel Ram Fingal was captured in the Sawmnah ri\er. 
and was towed the next day to our harbor and anchored 
directly opposite our camp. It was a great curiosity to 
the crowd of soldiers who gathered on the wharf and 



THE CAPTURE OF MORRIS ISLAND 

along the bank of the river; it was l)uilt in the shape of a 
turtle, with four heavy guns and a crew of 160 men, each 
man before the capture being armed with a rifle, revoher 
and cutlass. The 15 or 20 men who had been wounded 
in the fight were immediately transferred to our hospital 
ship Vermont, that was lying in the river and the prison- 
ers were put on board the Wabash. 




ON THE DECK OF A MONITOR. 



The commander of the Monitor which made the cap- 
ture was Commodore John R(\gers, one of the most gal- 
lant of our naval commanders; he was our guest at the 
officers mess the day after the capture and entertained us 
with the story of the fight and the capture. I renieml)er 
it in part: the Ram had been built at Savannah and frt)ni 
the proceeds of the sale of the jewels of the women of 
that city. There was great interest among the citizens 
of Savannah in the building of this warship; the progress 
of the building of the ship was watched from da)- to day 

223 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

by the people of this city. It was finally completed, and 
the day fixed for clearing the Savannah river of the Yan- 
kees and the re-capture of Fort Pulaski. Two steamer 
loads of the people of the city went down the river, fol- 
lowing the ram, to see the discomfiture of the hated 
Yankees and the capture of the fort. "I had been wait- 
ing," the Commodore said, "when the Fingal made its ap- 
pearance steaming slowly down the river, followed by the 
two steamer loads of sightseers. The first shot from the 
Monitor, a 13-inch shell, was sent flying over the Rebel 
Ram, and exploding beyond. This was quite enough for 
the pleasure party, the two boats turning and disappear- 
ing in the direction of Savannah. The Fingal returned 
the fire, but with very little effect. Moving up to close 
range, our Monitor made short work in disabling the 
ram, the capture soon following." 

On the 3d day we embarked with other troops and 
once more the army was headed for Charleston. The oc- 
cupation of Folly Island, which has before been described 
as being at the entrance of Charleston harbor, had been 
maintained by our troops and in the attack about to be 
made this was the base of operations. 

It will be remembered by the older generation that 
intense interest centered upon Charleston and our iron- 
clad fleet that was so easily to sail up into Charleston 
harbor, and capture this "hot-bed of secession." So great 
was the disappointment at the failure of the navy to cap- 
ture Charleston in the attack of April 7th, that it was de- 
termined to make an immediate and combined attack by 
the army and navy. 

It is a matter of history that in the operations fol- 
lowing the army under General Quincy A. Gilmore, with 
the navy co-operating, known as "the Siege of Charles- 
ton" there was some of the hardest experiences ever 
known in siege operations. Some of the most desperate 
fighting of the war, notably the capture of Morris Island 

224 



THE CAPTURE OF MORRIS ISLAND 

from open boats, and at Fort A\'ag'ner, and also the great- 
est of heavy artillery tiring and the most audacious of 
• military engineering in the world's history. The plan of 
the attack was to capture Morris Island, reduce Fort Sum- 
ter by the combined attack of heavy siege guns and the 
ironclad navy, and the fall of Charleston would follow. 

Looking back over the space of forty-five years, 
memory does not permit of giving very much in detail 
the history of this wonderful siege, but scMiiething of its 
history, "all of which I saw, a part of which I was," I will 
attempt. I was acting adjutant of my regiment, taking 
the place of Adjutant Libby, who was then serving upon 
the stafif of General George C. Strong. 

AA> were upon Folly Island, having secured a foothold 
here, making it the base of operations. Ten thousand 
troops under General Ouincy A. Gilmore had been con- 
centrated. 

In the afternoon of July 9, Adjutant Libby came into 
my tent and told me of the plan for the capture of Mor- 
ris Island. Our brigade, he said, had been selected as the 
assaulting column. We were to make the attack in open 
boats; he seemed very much elated at the prospect of the 
glorious part we were to take as the "Forlorn Hope." I 
can't say that I shared his enthusiasm, on the contrary, 
to the best of my recollection, the cold shivers ran down 
my back, well knowing something of the horrors of facing- 
a combined artillery and musketry fire under the most 
favorable circumstances, but to advance in open boats 
against the hail of grape and cannister, and a whirlwind of 
lead and exploding shell, called for the courage born eith- 
er of a reckless disregard of life or a martyr's duty to his 
God and country. 

Libby was a model soldier, courageous and true. He 
was spared in the slaughter in the boat attack but was 
killed a few days later on the slopes of Fort AA'agner in 
that terrible cliarge of July i8th. 

225 



KIO.MIXISCKXCKS oK TliK WAR OF THK IlKUKLLIoX 



Al)c>ut i.) (Vclock in the evening of the 9th of Jul}', onr 
brigade nnder (leneral (leorge C". Strong, moved ont oi 

camp with two 
(hi_\'s' rations of 
hard-tack a n d 
coffee, marched 
across to the 
westerly side of 
the island, and 
quietly embark- 
ed in boats that 
lay waiting for 
ns in the creek. 
Slowly and quiet- 
1}' we moved up 
the stream with 
oars muffled, and 
e ^• e r }• \- o i c e 
hushed, that the 
eneiu\'s pickets 
should not dis- 
ccner our ap- 
ai)i)r()ach. 

Arrixing a t 
the mouth of 
Light House in- 
let, a halt was 
t)rdered. and un- 
der the co\er of 
the tall marsh grasses along the shore, we waited the 
dawn of day. Scarcely had the first rays of chnbreak be- 
gun to show itself in the east when we heard to our right 
u])()n tlie extreme northerl_\- end of k'olK- Island, in the 
direction of our masked batteries, the sound of axes in 
the chopping of trees to uncoxer our batteries. 

We wait with intense interest, for we know this to be 
Ihe i)relude to the signal gun that will announce the open- 

226 




ADJT. ALVIN A. LIBBY, 



THE CAPTURE OF MORRIS ISLAND 

ing of our batteries. The iron-clad fleet has crossed the 
bar and is moving up into position. 

The enemy, all unconscious, are still sleeping in their 
camps on Morris island, less than a half mile away. The 
forest in front of our batteries falls as if by magic. 

The signal gun booms out over the water, echoing 
and re-echoing from the waters to the clouds above. 
Then fifty guns and mortars shake the islands and pour a 
deadly shower of missiles into the camps of the enemy. 

The guns of our ironclads in the harbor add to the 
din. The huge 15-inch shells from our monitor guns go 
crocheting o^■er the water, striking the sand lands of the 
batteries upon the island, throwing cart loads high into 
the air, exploding with deadly effect and with the rumb- 
lings and vibrations of an earthquake. 

The enemy although taken by surprise soon man 
their guns and heroically serve them with unerring aim ; 
for two hours an incessant bombardment between our 
batteries and our warships in the harbor and the rebel 
guns upon Morris island is kept up. A signal has been 
given to General Strong to move his brigade up and as- 
sault the works. 

The order is given to pull out and on we move, out 
into the stream in full view of the rebel batteries. As 
we approach, the guns of our fleet in the harbor slacken 
their fire for fear of damage to our forces, and the enemy 
divide their attention between our batteries and our 
boats. 

On we ])ull, preserving our formation as best we can, 
three thousand bayonets flashing in the rays of the rising 
sun, three thousand men facing death. A shell from the 
rebel batteries comes screaming over our heads, and ex- 
plodes beyond without damag'e, another and another in 
quick succession explode over our boats ; several are 
killed and wounded by the flying fragments. 



227 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

No order is given to fire from the l)oats. "For- 
ward," shouts General Strong from the leading boat. 
"Forward! Pidl, you oarsmen, j^iill for your lives!" 

The boats are now fairly tlying through the water. 
The rebel infantry are plainly seen upon the line or rifle 
pits upon the shore, and have opened fire. ''Down, 
down men, and get what protection you can ! Pull pull 
harder I" The ;^ip and ping of the rebel bullets now 
sing about our ears, striking our boats, sometimes strik- 
ing men. 

Nearer and nearer we approached the shore. The 
leaden hail and exploding shell are increasing and are 
thinning our ranks but serves not to check the. advance. 
Grimly the oarsmen pull at their oars, and with blanched 
faces, but firm set mouths, like statues, our men stand 
with rifles firmly grasped, ready for the command of their 
gallant leader. 

Most of the men were standing facing the storm; 
Colonel Jackson, he who was called a martinet, is now in 
his element, standing in the very bow of one of the lead- 
ing boats. Major Plimpton, the true soldier that he was. 
and the second in command of the regiment, was near. 
Captain Randlett,his men around him, the exemplification 
of bravery, standing erect, facing the storm of lead and 
iron, with fifty or more of the men in the boat that I 
was in ; in the next boat I see Lieutenants Trickey and 
Edgerly, Parker and Sergt. Eldridge of Co. K all young 
fellows under age coming up from the ranks and they 
knew not fear, or who knowing it, rose heroically abo\-e 
it; and there were many others, too, the little Irish Ser- 
geant Donley, who not only proved a hero in this bat- 
tle but through every fight in which the regiment took 
part he was conspicuous by his bra\ery, before the close 
of the war rising to the rank of captain; and among the 
boys of CompanyF, I see Wadsworth, then a Lieutenant, 
and Alf Hayden, and I ha\e no doubt e\en here he saw 

228 



THE CAPTURE OF MORRIS ISLAND 

the ludicrous side of sometiiing, helping the boys to face 
e danger and Charlie Hall, too, one of the iLvest o 
the n,e„ behind the rifle, who served throngh the war 

life"' wi°T -■■ '"'"V""^' '° ^"'""■^' """S "- ^1"'" l>°" e 
We and dy.ng „, the year 1909: and his brother, Horace 

Ha 1, one of the best and bravest of Nashua soldiers in the 

names do not no«- come to me, but who equally deser^■e 

to be classed among the heroes. ^uesene 

The feeling of courage or of fear is contagious • there 

h a e,y , psychologicaly infused into the blood 

of the less brave, whose natural tin,idity would have oVTr 
con,e hem and would have succumbed to fear ancl be- 
con,e helpless, but they stood here now together one so - 

\\ a, of the Rebellion nor in the wars of any age was 
here an uistance calling for greater courage nor' was 
here ever greater courage shown by soldiers of any age 

tlKui here at tins moment in facing these terrific condi: 

A shell explodes in the boat next to my own, killing 
ami wounding many. The boat sinks, leaving a strug- 
g mg mass of human forms in the water, redcfened with 
the l,lood of the dead and wou.ided, but on, on we pull 
striking the beach, out jump the men, some in wr*" 
waist deep. All hastily forming upon the shore un.ler the 
e.ve, e<I commands given by the officers the^- move on in 
he face o a deadly fire of infantry and artiflery. "Charge 
ayonetsr ,s the command. With a wikl veli, all alon' 
the line the enemy are routed from their 'rifle pits and 
^arthworks upon the shore, pushing on and ov'er the^r 

M ind"^! ■"°''' ?""^ " "■^'' °f "'^ ''^•''^' <-""' w°""ded 
to Intte ?,°"'' "'','!"'"■ ''"""«^ "^"" hack from battery 
to battery, through their camps, over the sand hills, back 
10 i^ort \\ ag-ner. 

229 



RK.MIXISCEXCES OF THE WAR < >K THE REBELLION 

l-'roni Charleston newspapers fonnd in the captured 
cam]), we I'lrst learned of the victory of (iettysburg and 
the fall of Xicksburi;'. .\s the troops were moving for- 
ward over the sands hills and up the beach of Morris Is- 
land, Lieutenant-Colonel Bedel, our gallant old fighting 
l)edel, came along with a rebel newspaper in one hand, 
his hat in the other, shouting at the top of his voice 
"\'icksl)urg captured! great victory at Gettysburg!" and 
in his wild enthusiasm, grasped me around the neck, lift- 
ing me from the ground in a way that, having escaped 
the shot and shell of the enemy, I was sure I was to die 
of strangulation. 

Added to our own victory and in the act of following 
up a retreating enemy, the enthusiasm of the men knew 
no bounds, and with wild hurrahs and vociferous yells, we 
followed up the panic stricken forces of Beauregard, fir- 
ing into them as opportunity offered, until thev reached 
their stronghold — Fort Wagner. Here the advance was 
checked by a vigorous fire from their infantry and the 
guns of Wagner and Sumter — Wagner a mile or more and 
Sumter two or three miles away — and other rebel forts in 
the harbor, they having got range of our troops. 

Upon the approach of our l)oats to the shore, many 
of our men jumped too ciuick. General Strong was among 
the first to jump, went into the water all over, lost his 
boots in the mud, his hat floating off with the tide, and 
when I saw the general he was leading his l)rigade in 
the advance up the beach, bootless and hatless, mounted 
upon a diminutive mule or jack, captured in the camp of 
the enem}'. 

It was now 9 o'clock. The torrid heat of the sun upon 
the glaring sands, with the intense excitement of the 
morning, had added greatly to the casualities of battle. 
Many of our men were lying dead and wounded in front 
of the rifle pits and all along the line of march many were 
prostrated by the intense heat. Pickets were thrown out 

230 



THE CAPTURE OF MORRIS ISLAND 

and the troops were g'lad to seek protection l^ehind the 
sand hills of the islands and get needed rest and rations. 
The firing from \\'ag'ner had now become continuous 
and occasional shots from Fort Sumter and from Fort 
Johnson on James Island came plowing along the broad 
beach and ricocheting over the sand hills down among 

our men. A group 
of officers, myself 
among the number, 
were sitting under 
the protection of 
one of those 
treacherous s a n d 
hills : a pail of but- 
ter, which had been 
found in a rebel 
tent was Ijetween 
us, and we were 
enjo}'in.g the lux- 
m-y of hard-tack 
and l)utter, when 
a shell came plow- 
ing over the sands, 
bounding and strik- 




ing within 
feet of us, 



a tew 
nearlv 



Lieut, j. homer edgerly. 

burying the whole party with dirt and demolishing our 
pail of butter, striking Colonel Bedel upon the leg as he 
sat upon the ground, wheeling him around and over and 
over like a tenpin. 

The colonel was soon on his feet again, however, 
covered wnth dirt, his eyes, nose and mouth full of it, but 
yelling with a vigor characteristic of the man, and with 
language more forceful than elegant, "\\'here in H — is 
our butter?" "Where's our butter?" the next instant 



233 



ItKMINKSCKXCES OF THE WAR OF THE RFIiFl.l>10N 

])ickinj:;" lip the shell a few rods away with the fuse still 
huniini^' and thi"()\\in<;' it down the heaeh into the water. 

As the shot and shell from Sumter and W ai^'uer 
eame tearing down the heach over the sand, our men 
found sport in dodging the missiles; a dangerous, ghastly 
sport it proxed in some cases. A W hitworth shot came 
from Sumter — a W hitworth shot, h}' the way, is of pecu- 
liar shape and proportions, being a hexagon or octagon, 
some 1 8 to 24 inches in length. l)y four to six inches in 




REQUA BATTERY. 



diameter. One of these shots from Sumter came whirl- 
ing and shrieking through the air like a t'lend incarnate, 
passed between Colonel Jackson and myself, standing 
within ten feet of each other, striking one of our men, 
severing his body like the stroke of a guillotine. 

Another man. Corporal ]\IcCoy of Comi)any \\ had 
thrown himself to the earth to escape a shot or shell he 
saw coming, but he was directly in its path. The ball 
striking the ground, bounding a hundred feet or more, 
struck the corporal in the back, killing him instantly. That 
so-called s])ent shot that buried our ])arty in sand and 
struck Colouel lieclel was not so far s])ent as to be 
harmless, for the blow upon Colonel Uedel's leg although 

^34 



THE CAPTURE OF MORRIS ISLAND 

not thong-ht to be serious at the time, caused a contusion 
of tlie flesh, followed by superation, keeping him in the 
hospital for two or three weeks. 

This reminiscence of the boat attack and capture of 
the island will not be completed, so far as I am concerned 
individually, without telling the story of what some 
would call foolish recklessness. In advancing upon the 
rebel fortifications after the landing from the boats, a part 
of the brigade moved to the left and a part to the right; 
we were upon the extreme right swinging around the 
rebel fortifications, and upon reaching the works, away 
across the camp and fields to the extreme right of the 
rebel rifle pits, some quarter of a mile, troops were seen 
which we supposed to be the enemy, and a fire was 
opened upon them. It was discovered, however, that 
they were our own men that had been sent to make the 
attack upon the left. The order was immediately given 
to "cease firing," but no voice could be heard above the 
din and crash of musketry. Impulsively I jumped upon 
the works over which the men were firing, their rifles 
resting upon the the top of the breast works; I ran along 
the line, kicking their rifles right and left, brandishing 
my sword in their faces and hollering at the top of my 
voice, "Cease firing! Cease firing!" This did not fail to 
attract their attention and the firing ceased. 

We had gained a foothold upon the island, but how 
long we could hold it, or wdiat further advance could be 
made, was uncertain. Fort Wagner, the strongest earth- 
work upon the coast, stood between us and Charleston. 



235 



CHAPTER XVIII. 




The Battle of Fort Wagner — The Siege of Charleston 

Begins. 

'ORRIS Island was about three miles in length, 
^ from 300 to 400 yards in width; it was an island 
of sand, chiefly of beach and in part of sand hills 
of irregular size and formation, being blown up 
by tlie winds, some of them in time reaching up to the 
height of twenty feet or more, continually changing in its 
formation by the action of the winds and tides. On the 
interior, stretching toward James Island to the southwest 
was an extensive impassable morass interspersed by 
creeks. Fort Wagner was about two and one-half miles 
from the lower end of the island, with a front of some- 
thing like 800 feet from the waters of the harbor across 
the island to the swamps. 

The approach to AVagner was over a narrow strip of 
land less than 100 yards in width, and over which the 
waters flowed at high tide ; farther on in the direction of 
Charleston at the northwesterly end of the island was 
Fort Gregg, less than a mile from Sumter. Fort Gregg 
was upon what was known as Cummings Point, and from 
this rebel battery the first gun of the war was fired upon 
Sumter. 

The first night after the assault and capture of the 
island we bivouacked among the sand hills; not much 
sleep that night for we were told that at 
daylight we were to assault Fort A\^agner. 
Tn the early dawn we were in line waiting the command 

237 



REMIXISCKXOES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

to move forward to the attack, but in this movement our 
regiment was to be in reserve and in support of the at- 
tacking party, the 2nd brigade having moved over from 
J''oIly Island chn-ing the day. It was confidently believed 
tiiat an immediate attack upon Wagner before it could be 
reinforced would result in its capture, but not so, the at- 
tack was met with a terrific fire of infantry and artillery, 
drixing our forces back in confusion before the reserve 
could come up to their support. It was clearly demon- 
strated that the fort was far more formidable than was 




SIEGE GUN GOING TO THE FRONT. 

supposed to be by the commanding general, and the 
whole force was withdrawn. 

Upon retreating to the cover of the sand hills we 
found that our camp equipage had been brought up. Init 
nothing like the semblance of a regular camp was possible. 
The location of our regiment was not far from the look- 
out upon one of the highest of the sand hills. Around and 
near this, among the many irregular and broken spaces 
the camp was pitched. The camps of other troops were 
pitched in a like manner all along the island down to 
Lighthouse Inlet. 

Ten thousand troops were now upon the island, and 
the greatest activity prevailed. Siege guns and all kinds 

238 



\ 



THE BATTLE OF FORT WAGNER 

of war material were being l^rought over from Folly 
Island. 

The skill of the military engineer now came to the 
front. Immense details of troops were sent nightly, to 
use the shovel in erecting batteries preparatory to another 
assault to be made upon Fort Wagner. Something like 
forty seig'e guns and mortars were soon in position within 
easy range' of Wagner. 

This work was not done without opposition; a tre- 
mendous fire from Sumter, AVagner and the other forts 
in the harbor was opened upon our men in the trenches 
and kept up, killing and wounding many. The work was 
done chiefly in the night. 

Preparations were now complete for another assault 
upon Wagner. Early on the morning of the i8th, the 
whole command was ordered into line, each man with one 
day's ration of hard tack and coffee. General Truman 
Seymour, under the command of General Gilmore, was in 
the immediate command of the assaulting column. 

The command was made up of two brigades, the 
First brigade under General Strong was to lead the as- 
sault; in this brigade was the 3rd N. H., 54th Mass., Col- 
ored, the 6th Conn., 48th N. Y., 7th Conn., 9th Maine, 
and the 76th Penn. The 2nd brigade commanded by Col- 
onel Putnam of the 7th N. H., was composed of his own 
regiment and the looth N. Y., 62nd Ohio and 67th Ohio. 

After rations were served in the early morning, the 
line was formed upon the beach and the column moved 
up in the direction of the enemy. Our navv had now 
moved up from their anchorage in the outer harbor, the 
monitors in the lead followed by the new Ironsides, then 
the wooden gunboats. The opening gun was from our 
battery, followed quickly by the monitors and a broad- 
side from the new Ironsides. The roar of the artillery is 
indescribable. The heavens seemed to have been rent 



239 



REi\IIXIS('K.\('I']S OF THE WAR OK TIIK REBELLION 

ill twain and tlic \ cr\- earth tr(.'ml)lc(l under our feet. For 
hours and hours this cannonaihn;^- went on all day long. 
W'c waited upon the sands of the l)eaeh and the sand hills 
well out of ran^e of the enenn-'s gains watching this ter- 
rilic honihardiiient. the huge shells from the monitors' 
guns striking and skimming over the surface of the water 
till thev strike the slopes of the fort, then deflecting into 
the air and into the fort, exploding with the noise and vi- 
l)ratioiis of a crash of thunder, sending huge clouds of 
dirt mingled with smoke high into the air. Twice the flag 
of y^vt A\'ag"ner was shot away, and when the 
flag first went down, cheer after cheer went up 
from our trc:)ops, we supposing the lowering of the flag 
meant the surrender of the fort, but each time it was re- 
placed by a daring man who had emerged from the 
bomb-proof long enough to perform this heroic act. 

General Gilmore was personally superintending the 
movement and had taken position with his staff upon one 
of the highest of the sand hills for observation. He di- 
rected that the assault should be delayed until nightfall, 
that the troops in their advance coud not be seen from 
the distant rebel forts. 

As the evening approached the order was finally given 
to move forward to the attack. Out from behind the 
protection of the sand hills, through our breastworks, and 
up the beach. General Strong's brigade leading, the col- 
umn moved forward. Contrary to the usual formation in 
line of battle, the swanij-is making it impossible to so ad- 
vance, the forces nioxed to the attack in company front. 
The darkness of the night proved no protection, the en- 
emy's guns bore upon the narrow approach to Fort 
W^agner with perfect range. The 34th Massachusetts 
colored troops, under commanil of the gallant Golonel 
Shaw, was assigned the ])ost of honor to lead the assault, 
our own guns from the batteries and fleet keeping up 
their fire until the leading regiment had a])])roached so 

240 



THE BATTLE OF FORT WAGNER 

near Wagner that it was perilous to our own forces. 
Then the firing from our guns ceased. 

Instantly the enemy swarmed from the bomb-proofs 
in Wagner, and a sheet of flame burst forth from the par- 
apet of the fort. "Double quick, charge bayonets !" is 
the order given, and across this narrow neck of lana, 
hardly distance for a company front, the troops crowded 
forward literally into the jaws of death. The concen- 
trated hail of shot and shell from the distant batteries 
and now from Wagner itself swept this narrow passage- 




MOIIT.VK JT..\Crai;-10-lNl.H .snEI.r. M..I!T.M;. A.S fSED BV the PEDER.VL (iOVEHNNfESr -weight of MOKTAlt i;,u.»i roi-NDs, 

way with fearful and deadly effect. The only breast- 
work was that of the mass of human flesh of the troops 
in the front, while those in the rear pressing on and 
mounting over the dead bodies of the slain, in turn to 
be mowed down like the grass, in swaths ; but pushing 
on till the ditch of the fort was reached, through the 
waters of the moat and tearing away the abatis of stakes 
and boarding pikes, up the slope, on to the parapet they 
climb in a hand to hand struggle for possession. 

24 T 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

'J'lie dusky heroes of the 54th Massachusetts had 
planted their flag upon the works, followed by the 7th 
New Hampshire, then the 3rd New Hampshire, and 
other regiments in a confused and struggling mass. 

The 6th Connecticut have pushed on up the beach 
and gained possession of the fort upon the right, but in 
the labyrinth of passageways incident to a fort of this 
character, they were unable to make further progress 
but for a time tenaciously held on to the advantage they 
had gained. 

The negro troops had met with fearful slaughter, 
almost annihilated; in the very face of the flames of the 
musketry they had climbed the parapet, when a panic 
seized the survivors and they fled in confusion back over 
and through the ranks of the other troops. 

The genius of Dante could but faintly portray the 
horrors of that hell of fire and sulphurous smoke — the 
crash and roar of artillery and musketry — the wild 
cheers of our men as they reached the parapet of the 
fort — the rebel yell in response — the agonizing shrieks 
of those wounded from the bayonet thrust, or pierced by 
the bullet of the rifle, or crushed by fragments of ex- 
ploding shell, sinking to earth a mass of quivering flesh 
and blood in the agony of horrible death. The half can 
never be told — language is all too tame to convey the 
horrors and the meaning of it all. 

By the orders given by General Strong, Colonel 
Jackson had been instructed to move his regiment to the 
left in the advance to the attack, but the order was evi- 
dently misunderstood by the Colonel, for instead of 
moving to the left and making the atack upon the enemy's 
right, he moved his command straight on to the works. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Bedel understanding the order as it 
was given, moved to the left, in advance of the regiment, 
expecting that his lead would be followed, and he pushed 
on and into the rebel fort, and where if the regiment had 

242 



THE BATTLE OF FORT WAGNER 



obeyed its orders an entrance could have been made but 
in the darkness and confusion Colonel Bedel discovered 
his mistake too late, and was surrounded by the enemy 
and taken i)risoner. Lieutenant Trickey then in com- 
mand of Company 
pany H also under- 
standing the order 
as it was given, 
moved to the left 
in advance of his 
company, bravely 
leading, and on to 
the works, looking 
and calling in vain 
for his company to 
follow ; in the deaf- 
ening roar of artil- 
lery and musketry 
and the darkness 
of the night there 
was little sense of 
the surroundings. 

It was found 
impossible to hold 
the advantage 
gained and a 
retreat was finally ordered and back over that narrow 
stretch of land, still under a terrific fire from the enemy, 
leaving the dead and many of the wounded, the remnant 
of that ^valiant army fell back, running the gauntlet of the 
lire, a disorganized force. -;:' 




LIEUT. WILLIAM H. TRICKEY. 



"Cannon to the right of them. 
Cannon to the left of them. 
Cannon behind them — 
Volleyed and thundered. 

243 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

Stormed at with shot and shell, 
They that had fought so well 
Came through the jaws of death. 
Back from the mouth of Hell — 
All that was left of them." 

The casualities were something terrific; over 33 per 
cent of the numbers engaged were killed or wounded. 
Nearly one-half of the officers of the whole command 
were killed or wounded. The rebel general Beauregard 
said in his official report that the morning after the bat- 
tle they buried eight hundred of our dead in front of the 
fort. More than one thousand of the wounded were 
brought to the rear. 

In their intense hatred of the officers of the colored 
troops, the enemy buried the body of Colonel Robert 
Shaw under that of the negroes he had led into the bat- 
tle, seeking petty revenge and thinking to disgrace his 
memory. 

By all known rules of war the failure to capture 
Fort Wagner, would have ended the movement against 
Charleston by this line of operation but not so with Gen- 
eral Gilmore. 

It will be remembered that a few months previous 
to this time he had made a world-wide reputation as a 
most skillful engineer by the reduction and capture of 
Fort Pulaski at the mouth of the Savannah river with 
his siege guns and mortars upon Tybee Isands, more 
than a mile away. In the emergency that now confront- 
ed him the same strategy was at his command, and how 
skillfully made use of the world already knows. 

The science of war is represented by the engineer 
corps of the army and the artillerist. The size or calibre 
of guns and projectiles necessary for use to accomplish 
the purposes of the work in hand is determined by the 
engineer and artillerist, the range of the guns of dififer- 

244 



THE BATTLE OF FORT WAGNER 

ent calibre being gauged and 'measured to a certainty by 
the engineer and artillerist. In the movements of armies 
in the field, maps of the country in which the army is op- 
eratmg are made by the engineer; all the roads and by- 
roads, streams and belts of woods and physical conditions 
generally are made known to the commanding general 
by his staflf of engineers. The construction of pontoon 
bridges or the destruction of bridges to obstruct the pas- 
sage of the army of the enemy was all in the hands of the 
engineer; he must be always ready to meet emergencies 
In our operations to the capture of Morris Island 
there was an instance of the resources of the engineer' 
Across the creek through which our boats were to move 
in making the attack upon Morris Island, the enemy had 
driven huge logs of piling. General Gilmore ordered 
Colonel Serrell, chief engineer, to remove the obstruction 
and the night before the attack was to be made, tools were 
shipped from Hilton Head for the purpose of clearing the 
creek for the passage of our boats, and in two hours from 
the time the engineers commenced the work, every loe 
was cut off eight feet below the water. 

The problem now confronting General Gilmore was 
something new in the annals of war; the books must be 
Ignored and therein lies the greatness of General Gilmore 
in establishing a new precedent in the science of war 

The construction of parallel lines in the operation of 
sapping and mining in an approach to the enemy's works 
IS a hazardous operation under the most favorable condi- 
tions, but when it is known that for hundreds of yards the 
entire mass of sand and other material for the construc- 
tion of the immense earthworks with their bomb-proof 
was carried forward in sand bags upon the backs of men' 
and otherwise, the wonderful genius of Gilmore and the 
courage and endurance of our soldiers can be better un- 
derstood, and this work accomplished, too, under a con- 
stant fire of the enemy. The alert sharpshooter was also 

245 



JREMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

getting in his deadly work. The last parallel was run into 
the ditch of Fort W' agner, the enemy still holding the fort. 
Fort Sumter lay two miles and more from our near- 
est guns on Morris Island, and the reduction of Sumter 
over the heads of the garrison and guns of Fort Wagner 
has not ceased to be a marvel. At the end of the 1)om- 




FORT SUMTER IN RUINS. 

bardment it lay a mass of rubbish, every gun dismouiiled. 
and ever after served only as a bomlvproof for its garri- 
son. Why the navy did not sail up to the wharves of the 
city of Charleston after the capture of Morris Island and 
after the guns of Sumter were silenced, history does not 
tell us. 

During the whole time of the siege the troops not on 
duty in the trenches or other duty were spectators of the 
grandest and most spectacular exhibition the world ever 
saw. The sand hills back and out of range of the guns of 
the enemy, although an occasional shot did reach us, were 
covered with men, watching the firing of our own guns 
and mortars, and those of the enemy. Hundreds of guns 
and mortars of all calibre, from thirty pounders to two 

246 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

hundred pounders, were continually belching forth as 
from the depths of regions infernal, fire and destruction. 
The sight was grandeur in its highest exemplification, 
particularly at night ; the air filled with shot and shell, de- 
cribing with their fuses trains of fire in all directions 
through the heavens, the trembling of the earth beneath 
us as by the Almighty's hand, with the deafening roar and 
thunder of the guns, vieing with and exceeding the most 
terrific of Heaven's artillery, was a fascination that held 
me spellbound, knowing with each explosion in the 
trenches of our works that lay before us life was the for- 




I II 1 1 r T \ 



F^irilL H\1I HO TLrs 111 lis 1 r WA 1 HI II fHF E\\CHT10N 

UNION SKIRMISHERS IN FRONT OF WAGNER. 



feit, or the wounded body of some of our ])oys was the 
accomplished fiendish work. 

Fort Wagner was one of the most terrific battles of 
the war; the numbers engaged were but a fraction of the 
numbers at Gettysburg and Spottsylvania and Cold 
Harbor, but the fierce fighting and heroism at Wagner 
was not excelled upon any battlefield in the War of the 
Rebellion, nor that of any other war. 

There were many instances of personal bravery 
here at Wagner. The brave and gallant General Strong 
leading his brigade up to the very ditch of the Fort fell 

247 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

with a terrible shell wound in his hip from which he died 
a few days later. 

Adjutant Libby, his chief of staff, my predecessor — 
our Adjutant Libby of the 3rd Regiment — one of the 
bravest of the brave, was killed in executing the com- 
mands of his chief. 

Colonel Robert C. Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts 
colored troops, was killed at the head of his command in 
leading the assault. 

Colonel Jackson of our regiment was hit in the 
breast and his coat nearly torn from him, although not 
proving a serious wound, the blow felled him to the 
earth with a terrible shock, but he soon recovered him- 
self and refused to go to the rear, retaining command of 
his regiment. 

Colonel Putnam of the 7th New Hampshire, in 
command of the 2nd brigade, while standing upon the 
bomb-proof of the Fort, with sword aloft, calling upon 
his men to follow, a conspicuous mark for the enemy's 
bullet, was shot through the head and instantly killed. 
And the heroes in the ranks — they were all heroic, those 
who were shot down, killed, or wounded and those who 
escaped the slaughter were alike heroes in facing death. 




248 



CHAPTER XIX. 




SIEGE OPERATIONS UPON MORRIS ISLAND. 
The Swamp Angel Reaches Charleston with Greek Fire, 

UR experience upon Morris Island through the 
siege of Charleston was most intense and nerve 
wearing, although personally in my official duties 
as adjutant, I escaped much of the severest duties 
our regiment was called upon to perform. Whole regi- 
ments were detailed for duty in the trenches in the work 
of shovelling and building bomb-proofs and the mounting 
of siege guns, one night in every three, and under con- 
stant fire from the enemy's guns; sometimes the regiment 
was on guard duty at the front to protect the working party 
from a sortie by the enemy. Not a morning through the 
siege did our men return to camp in full numbers. Every 
man starting out at night for the front, felt the uncertainty 
of his living until the morning — it was a constant facing 
of death. 

The digging of trenches means what it plainly indi- 
cates, and under scientific rules of engineering, in this 
case it was termed "sapping and mining." This is the 
term used in the construction of breastworks or intrench- 
ments in zig-zag lines, parallels, so-called, approaching 
gradually by such lines, the enemy's; in these works our 
siege guns were established. The object of the zig-zag as 
can be seen is to protect the working party — the soldiers 
who are working in the trenches and our artillerists by 
keeping the breastworks at such an angle as to prevent 
the shot and shell of the enemy from entering. 

249 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

This work was carried forward for more than one 
mile over the sands of the island; one quarter of a mile of 
this distance the sands were so shallow that in digging 
from one to two feet, water stopped the way, and the en- 
tire works were constructed over this space by carrying 
the sand in bags, and the timbers for the bomb-proofs, up- 
on the backs of men ; this too, under the fire and cross 
hre from rebel guns and mortars, the enemy's sharp-shoot- 
ers all the while doing their deadly work from behind the 
ridges of the sand hills in front of Fort Wagner. 

Not for days only but for weeks this heroic work 
went on under the crash and roar of artillery from our 
own guns and that of the enemy, shaking the ground we 
stood upon ; at times for hours it seemed a continuous ex- 
ploding of shells over the heads of the men in the trenches* 
tearing human flesh to shreds, the zip and hissing of the 
bullets of the sharp-shooters seeking out the heads of 
those who recklessly or carelessly stood above the line of 
protection. 

Under these harrassing conditions, shovelling and 
digging and lifting of timbers all night long was going on, 
until beyond human endurance nature would give way 
and many a poor boy would be carried back to camp and 
to the hospital. 

The energies of the whole army were taxed to the 
limit; added to the casualities of the killed and wounded, 
there was a frightful loss in the death of hundreds who 
had escaped the shot and shell caused from this terrific 
service in the trenches, and added to this was the malaria 
from the swamps which had now become prevalent; our 
fighting force had become reduced to alarming figures; by 
one of the morning reports eighty men only were reported 
for duty in the whole regiment of about se\en hundred 
men. 

The histories of war so far as I have read do not be- 
gin to tell the full story of the siege of Charleston; lan- 

250 



SIEGE OPERATIONS AGAINST MORRIS ISLAND 

guage fails to convey the full meaning of the operations 
upon Morris Island — of the marvelous engineering skill of 
General Gilmore — of the reduction of Fort Sumter to a 
mass of rubbish over the heads of the garrison of Fort 
Wagner, and this too, with his siege guns two miles away. 
under a concentrated fire from the enemy, and of the 
almost superhuman work of pushing his parallels for over 
one mile, and into the very ditch of the enemy's works ; 
against obstacles new in the history of siege operations, 
and upon a gigantic scale such as the world had never be- 
fore seen, and has since had its counterpart only in the 
siege of Port Arthur in the war of Japan and Russia. Over 
5000 shot, large and small, were fired from our guns at 
Fort Sumter alone, something more than fifty percent 01 
this number striking the fort, and completing its destruc- 
tion. What is even more wonderful was the patriotic 
spirit, courage and endurance of the officers and men in 
the ranks, who faced horrible death from the enemy's 
shot and shell, and disease brought on by a long continued 
and intense nervous strain of work in the trenches and 
at all times surrounded by malarious swamps. 

The courage of the men in the ranks was superb, de- 
serving of all praise, even more than that of the commis- 
sioned officer, whose courage was to an extent stimulated 
by the pride of his position and consciousness of his re- 
sponsibilities. 

The hot fire from our batteries over the heads of our 
own men at work in the trenches would for a time silence 
the enemy's guns, so that only an occasional shot would 
be fired; men were then stationed on the top of our works, 
more particularly at night, whose duty it was to watch out 
for the approaching shells as seen by the fuse of the shell 
fired from mortars. 

The mortar is the most effective of engines of war for 
use in sie?e operations; their form of construction is en- 
tirely different from that of the ordinary gun. They are 

253 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

made of such extraordinary thickness as to withstand the 
strain of firing at an extremely high elevation. The shells 
from the mortar mounting higher and higher into the air, 
reaching the extreme height, apparently stop for its 
downward plunge ; slowly at first they descend, increas- 
ing in rapidity, sometimes exploding in air, but if the fuse 
is well timed, strikes within the fortifications, exploding 
with deadly effect. One of the enemy's shells striking in 
a group of men, killed or wounded seventeen of one com- 
pany of our regiment. The Lookout upon the works when 




BOMB PROOF. 



a shell with its fuse was seen approaching, would cry out. 
"Cover" and the men would rush for the bomb-proof un- 
til the shell had exploded. These bomb-proofs were built 
in the progress of the work from point to point, made 
with heavy timbers, and covered so deep wdth sand that 
shot and shell could not penetrate. 

It is dif^cult to describe the tremendous firing of our 
siege guns, and the effects of the combined fire of our own 
guns and that of the enemy. The very earth trembled 
with the continual roar and vibration of the artillery 
.Such was the effect that many of our men in camp de- 
clared that if there was a lull in the firing during the 
night they could not sleep. 

254 



SIEGE OPERATIONS AGAINST MORRIS ISLAND 

Many times I sat on the sand hills near the camp 
with hundreds of others, watching this spectacular work 
of the demon of war; the scene was weird and fascinating, 
the operations covering a distance of se\eral miles; thou- 
sands of men at work in the trenches in our immediate 
front and hundreds of guns from our own and the en- 
emy's works from many points, this spectacular \iew 
covers many miles in extent, extending from Sullivan's 
Island on the north side of the harbor across to Fort Sum- 
ter, and on to James Island at the north end of Morris 
Island, were the rebel forts, bristling with guns of all 
calibre. These with our own guns from the batteries 
erected by General Gilmore and the guns of our iron- 
clads in the harbor fought daily and nightly duels. 

In the latter part of the siege, "calcium lights" or 
what are now called "searchlights" were here used for the 
first time in war — the bright intense light searching out 
the enemy, leaving our own works in the darkness. 

Magazine guns also were first used in the operations 
here upon Morris island. This gun was called the Requa 
battery. It consisted of 25 rifle barrels 28 inches long, ar- 
ranged horizontally upon wheels of a gun carriage, all 
weighing about 1300 pounds, breech-loading, and could 
be fired seven times a minute, operated by three men. 

A terrible feature of the siege was the exhuming of a 
large number of bodies of those who were killed at the 
battle of Fort Wagner. When our works were approach- 
ing this fort large numbers would be exhumed in a night. 
And Oh ! the horrors of it all ! The bodies were in such 
a condition and there was no place to re-bury, into the 
breastworks the bodies were placed, and became a part of 
the material of the parapets as the work progressed. 

As we came nearer Wagner with our ditches, the 
grounds in front of the fort were found to be filled with 
torpedoes, when the diggers striking the percussion that 
led to the infernal machines, an explosion followed, fre- 

257 



RKMiMS('i':.\*'i:s (>i- rwK war of thk reuiolt.iox 

quenlly killiiij;- one or more of the men. 'Ilie cuniiini;" also 
of the enemy had arranged a percnssion just underneath 
the surface of the ground, \vhich upon the pressure of a 
foot-fall w'cndd explode the mine. 

'Jdiere were niany incidents of daily occurrence that 
AN'oidd he most interesting if 1 could but recall them. 
Very much that made up this intense life by the daily du- 
ties, incidents and accidents has passed from the memory, 
but I am surprising myself as I go along in these reminis- 
cences, that so much is brought back to memory. I now 
recall the blowing up of Fort Moultrie, across the harbor, 
upon Sulliwan's Island, by the explosion of their magazine. 




TORPEDO -MORRIS ISLAND. 

REBEL TORPEDOES FOUND IN FRONT OF FORT WAGNER. 

This was the efTect of a shell from one of our guns. 
As it happened, I was looking in that direction from my 
tent just ofY the beach; before the sound reached me I saw- 
across the waters a huge cloud of smoke go into the air 
from the fort, carrying with it the debris of timbers, guns 
and other material, high into the air, followed by other 
rumblings as of thunder. 

One of the sergeants of our regiment who was sta- 
tioned as one of the Lookouts upon the wx^rks as described 
after giving the word ''Cover." instead of jumping him- 
self as he should have done for his own protection, stood 
watching the approach of the shell with its fuse and in 
sight of the men near him and apparently without an ef- 

2SS 



SIEGE OPERATIONS AGAINST MORRIS ISLAND 

fort to sa\e himself. Notwithstaiuling the cry of the men, 
"Heig'h, there, look out for yourself," he stood as though 
(lazed or fascinated, until he was struck by the shell and 
torn to pieces. 

This story was told to me at the time by one of the 
boys who was there, and who brought the remains of the 
sergeant's watch to my tent the next morning. 

Adjutant Libby of our regiment who was on the 
staff of General Strong and killed in that terrible charge 
upon Wagner, had a magnificent saddle horse, a most in- 
telligent animal. An hour or two after the battle, the 
horse found his way back to the rear, and came into our 
camp with a slight w^ound in his leg, evidently looking for 
some one to care for him. Many pathetic scenes of wouri- 
ed horses followed every battle, but naturally the suffer- 
ings of the horses w^ere lost sight of in the horrors and 
sufferings of the men. 

Colonel Jackson, who had been wounded at Fort 
A\'agner, was sent to New Hampshire upon recruiting 
service. While in Concord, he had recommended to the 
governor my name for a commission as Adjutant of the 
regiment, to fill the place made vacant by the death of 
Adjutant Libby. I had been filling the position of Acting 
Adjutant for several months, and had become familiar 
with the duties of the office, and naturally it was with a 
great deal of gratification that I received the commission, 
increasing my pay materially as well as my rank. 

The horse that I had been using was not very satis- 
factory, and I was very glad to purchase the horse of Ad- 
jutant Lil)by's widow, who was at that time a resident of 
Manchester. "Don Pedro" was a horse of great spirit — a 
thoroughbred Morgan. AVe became great friends through 
the campaigns that followed, and I shall have more to 
say of him. 

The absence of Colonel Jackson placed the regiment 
in command of Captain James F. Randlett, the senior 

259 



REiMl.\IS('IOX<'l':S OK THE WAR OF THE REIJELLIOX 



captain of the rci^iincnl, Licutenant-C'oIoiK'l IUmIcI ha\iiig 
been taken prisoner at I'Ort Wagner and Major Plimpton 
on the stall of (ieneral Seynionr as Assistant In])ec- 
tor-CIeneral. Captain Randlett prox'cd himself to be, in 

ability, conrage and 
experience well fitted 
for the command to 
which he succeeded. 
C a p tain Randlett's 
brilliant s e r \- i c e 
through the War, 
rising to the rank of 
Lieutenant Colonel of 
his regiment, and his 
subsequent service in 
the regular army, 
places him among the 
very first of New 
Hampshire's soldiers, 
and in whom Nashua 
especially takes great 
pride. My relations 
with Colonel Rand- 
lett t h r o u g h the 
whole service were 
particularly ])erst)nal and valuable, and I could not say too 
much in praise of his personal and official character. 

One of the most interesting and exciting events of 
the siege was the liring upon the city of Charleston, five 
and one-half miles distant, from the gun named the 
Swam]) Angel. It was a two hundred pounder Parrot 
gun erected in a swamp between Morris and James Is- 
lands. LietU. Andrew W'adlia of our regiment was on du- 
ty with the engineer corps and had done heroic work in 
the siege and capture of b^ort Pulaski. ITe was now as- 
signed to the command of one of the fatigue ])arties un- 

260 




LIEUT. ANDREW J. WADLIA. 



SIEGE OPERATIONS AGAINST MORRIS ISLAND 

der the direction of the officers of the Engineer Corps for 
the mounting of this gun. 

A story went the rounds of the camp at this time and 
in this connection, of an extraordinary requisition made 
by Colonel Serrell upon General Gilmore. Colonel Serrell 
had been ordered by General Gilmore to erect this battery 
upon the marshes. Colonel Serrell made a reconnoissance 
to find out the proper location, but failed to find a spot 
that he thought was feasible for such a work and so re- 
ported to the general commanding, General Gilmore re- 
plying that the battery must be erected, and to make 
requisition for anything that was necessary to accomplish 
the work. The requisition was formally made by Colonel 
Serrell as the story goes, calling for a detail of one hun- 
dred men fifty feet tall to erect a battery in a swamp 
forty feet deep. 

Lieutenant Wadlia tells us the story of the mount- 
ing of the Swamp Angel and knows the truth of it m 
every detail. 

"The location was on a wide extent of marsh covered 
with water at high tide, between James and Morris Is- 
lands on the banks of an unfordable creek, which gave 
protection from the enemy, and made it convenient to 
transport material in boats. The soft mud was first filled 
with poles or piling thrust down into it, then timbers laid 
parallel, then bags of sand filled until up even, then other 
timbers laid across with more bags of sand filled as before. 
A parapet eight feet thick at the bottom and six feet at 
the top and six feet high was thus built on three sides of 
a square with bags of sand; a platform of heavy planking 
then laid in the enclosure, upon which the guns were 
mounted, all the materials being brought from ]\Iorris Is- 
land, about six miles distant, by way of the creek. The gun 
weighing about 8,000 pounds, was loaded on to a surf 
boat about 20 feet long and 8 feet beam. It was then ta- 
ken through the water courses to the battery, then rolled 

261 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

u])()n liea\ y limhcrs from the Ijoat and on to the platform 
in the battery. The eharactcr of this work can l)e Ijetter 
mulcrstood when it is known that in this construction it 
rec[uired the labor of nine days of over looo ol^cers and 
men of the Engineer Corps, and thousands of soldiers 
from the Infantry regiments, also the use of 172 four 
horse teams and ninety-three boats with their crews." 

At that time the firing of any projectile the distance 
of five miles w^as a thing unheard of. All was in readi- 
ness, and a message for the city of Charleston in the form 
of a shell of two hundred pounds, filled with a chemical 
knowm as Greek fire, was sent on its mission. The siieil 
reached the city, exploding, scattering its contents like a 
whirlwind of flame, setting fire to the city. 

The consternation in the city of Charleston \vhen the 
shell exploded in their midst can better be imagined than 
described. A panic followed, the inhabitants fleeing 
from the city in terror. 

A lively correspondence betw^een General Beaure- 
gard, commanding the rebel forces, and General Gilmore, 
immediately followed, General Beauregard protesting 
against wdiat he termed "an outrageous \iolation of the 
rules of war and humanity," but as a matter of truth, Gen- 
eral Gilmore notified General Beauregard three days in 
advance of the opening of the lire, that the non-combat- 
ants might be moved from the city. General Beauregard, 
however, ahvays contended that no notice was given. 

l^he spires of the churches of the city of Charleston 
could be plainly seen from the sand hills; with a glass, 
I many times read the time from the clock in one of the 
church s])ires. .St. Michael's church was the most promi- 
nent of any and was a target for our guns. A portion of 
the citv only was burned from the result of our firing. 

The Greek f're \\ms not altogether a success, very 
little of it as it i)roved. doing the work expected (^f it. and 
the limit of the range of our guns being determined and 

2G2 



SIEGE OPERATIONS AGAINST .MORRIS ISLAND 

the (lang-er restricted to a certain locality. Charleston 
becoming more reassured, the citizens generally returned 
to the city. 

Fort Wagner was now the objective point after the 
reduction of Fort Sumter, and thousands of shot and 
shell were rained upon this earthwork, until it became 
evident that each shot and shell that was imbedded in its 
works fairh' strengthened its defense. And still the fort 
was held by its garrison, safely housed in the bomb- 
proofs, through which our shells could not penetrate. 




SWAMP ANGEL. 



During the siege, more than hfty of our siege guns 
exploded. The "Swamp Angel" after firing thirty-six 
rounds into the city also exploded. No attempt was 
made to replace this gun, but the firing was continued 
upon the city from Fort Gregg at the upper end of the 
island after its capture. 

The gun "Swamp Angel" after the war, found its way 
into the scrap heap in Trenton, N. J. It was accident- 
ally discovered, rescued and identified. Tt is now upon a 
pedestal in one of the city squares of Trenton, a monu- 
ment to the most remarkable siege in history. 

263 



CHAPTER XX. 




THE FORLORN HOPE 

Capture of Fort Wagner and Battery Gregg. 

T was now the 15th of September; the last par- 
XS^ allel of the engineers ended in the trenches of 
Fort Wagner, not only this, but a "sap" was ex- 
tended, enveloping the entire sea front, protected 
by the extraordinary strength of their bomb-proofs, whicli 
the furious cannonading from our batteries and war ships 
for weeks had failed to penetrate. So near were the en- 
emy in their works, our men exchanged salutations with 
them, not only with their rifles and with hand grenades, 
but with sulphurous adjectives w^th long range that was 
now reinforced. The resources of the engineers seemed 
to have been exhausted, matters seemed to be at a stand- 
still and a sense of despondency had settled down upon 
the whole command. 

In this emergency. General Gilmore decided upon 
heroic measures and planned a simultaneous attack by 
the navy and army. The navy and our batteries were 
again to bombard the fort and this time with an increased 
number of mortars and more powerful rifle guns, wnth the 
expectations that the enemy's works would be so demol- 
ished and the bomb-proofs pierced that the enemy would 
surrender, but further, following the bombardment, an 
assault by the army was to be made. 

Early in the evening of Sept. 6. an aide from head- 
cjuarters came to my tent with despatches for Colonel 

26s 



lilO.MlXISCIOXCKS OK THK WAR (>K THK RKiJKLLh ).\ 

Jvandk'U (at tliat time ca])taiii ) conmiandin^' tlie regi- 
ment, which I imme(Hately took to the Colonel's tent. It 
wris a commnnication from General Gilmore ordering 
liim to report at headqnarters forthwith. Upon reaching 
the general's tent, where man}- other regimental com- 
manders had already reported, Colonel Randlett was met 
outside by a staff officer, who said to him, that the gen- 
eral wished him to report later in the evening, fixing the 
hor.r at wdiich he should return. 

Promptly on the time, Colonel Randlett reported 
iindino- that the commanding officers of other regiments 

CJ o t^ 

had gone, the general being alone with his staff in his 
tent. The interview between Colonel Randlett and ( ien- 
eral Gilmore was brief but most pointed. 

"Colonel Randlett," the general said, "the cons])icu- 
ous bravery and efficiency of the 3rd New Hampshire 
regiment is well known to me. I now have a duty to pre- 
sent that will test to the utmost the courage of yourself 
and that of your command — an attack upon the enemy's 
works will be made early tomorrow morning, and the 
3rd New Hampshire regiment has been selected to lead 
the "Forlorn Hope." This is submitted to you and your 
command, not as an order, but for your consideration ; it 
must be voluntary on your part and that of the regiment." 

Colonel Randlett says he replied to the general not 
without emotion, "General Gilmore, I appreciate the hon- 
or which you have conferred upon my command. So far 
as T am concerned, I accept the responsil)ility and will 
submit the matter to the several com])anies in my reg- 
iment and will make report." 

I was waiting in Colonel Randlett's tent his return. 
It was now nearly midnight. It was not wholly a sur- 
prise to me when the colonel directed that T should at 
once call a meeting of the company commanders at his 
cjuarters. Sergeant Major Dodge going through the left 
wing of the regiment and T the right wing. Tn a very short 

j66 



^j ^p, .(^ 




THE LAST PARALLEL RUN INTO THE DITCH OF FORT WAGNER. 
FIGHTING WITH HAND GRENADES. 



CAPTURE OF FORT WAGNER AND BATTERY GREGG 

time the officers had assembled. A "Forlorn Hope" is 
that body of troops which leads in the assault upon a 
strongly intrenched fortification, where the chances are 
greatly against the assaulting forces, and where a great 
slaughter is sure to follow whether in success or defeat. 
The construction or definition of "Forlorn Hope" as 
understood by those who know, is "resolved to die." 

The echoes of that terrible charge and slaughter of 
July i8th where so many brave men met their death, still 
thrilled every man of the command. Now we were 
Galled upon to not only face like conditions, but to be the 
first to meet the murderous fire. 

The officers had all assembled and the commanding 
officer most impressively stated the proposition and every 
man present knew too well its import. Concluding he 
said : 

"Commanders of companies, call your men into line 
and state the situation to them. Tell them that every 
man is expected to do his duty as a soldier, but no man 
will be compelled to go to the front by force. Report to 
me the results of this order, and without delay." 

Every company was called into line by its command- 
er, and a statement of the situation made to them. Said 
one commander, "You know, my men, what this means. 
We are facing death in a duty which every true soldier 
should meet; it's a question of courage or cowardice. 
Now make your choice; every man who declines to go 
step to the front." 

A similar statement was made to every company and 
in the whole regiment, not a man stepped to the front. 
AVithin thirty minutes the commander of each company 
had again reported at the commanding officer's tent, and 
all with the same report — "Every man volunteers to go." 

It was always understood and it was the rule and or- 
der of commanding officers, that men who were excused 
from duty at surgeon's call in the morning were relieved 

269 



REMIXISCEXCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

fn)in duty for the next twenty-four hours. At this time 
an unusually large number of men had been attending 
surgeon's call, and necessarily so, from the terril)ly ex- 
hausting duties they had been subjected to for weeks, but 
notwithstanding this, more than fifty percent of those 
who had been so excused by the surgeon reported for 
duty in the ranks, to take their part in the "Forlorn 
Hope." Such heroism as this under such conditions is 
deserving of everlasting honor. 

However much the people of this generation think 
they give credit to the soldier who fought the great bat- 
tles of the war, saving this country to them and future 
generations, little they really .know of the sacrifice of 
lives under the most harrowing of conditions, and the 
heroism of men many whose names are now in oblivion. 

In giving his instructions. Colonel Randlett issued 
to each officer a quantity of barbed spikes, to be distrib- 
uted among the ot^cers and non-commissioned ofticers 
of the several companies, with specific instructions that 
when the parapet of the fort had been gained and it was 
found that we could not drive the enemy out, these spikes 
were to be used in spiking the guns, dropping them into 
the vent, and driving them home with the butt of the 
musiket or anything at hand. One of these spikes that 
was issued to me for this use I now have in my collection 
of war relics. 

Orders w^ere given that the men should be furnished 
rations, and be ready with forty rounds of ammunition to 
fall in at 2.30 o'clock. The remainder of the night was 
spent in preparation. 

I remember clearly the assembly of of^cers at our 
mess for that midnight supper; the solemnity that had 
prevailed at the meeting and had so depressed everybody, 
had passed. Apparently nearly every officer present had 
passed that nervous crisis when fear holds sway, the good 
spirits of every man present had asserted itself, and never 

270 



CAPTURE OF FORT WAGNER AND BATTERY GREGG 

was a supper eaten at our mess with more jokes and 
laughter, than this, on the eve at what at that time, ap- 
peared to be ahnost certain death. I can even remember 
the hot biscuit that our cook baked for us that night in 
the oven that had been built with brick, under one of the 
sand hills, and after the supper my own careful prepara- 
tions as to uniforms and equipments, deciding what boots 
to wear — surely I did not need my riding boots, my 
horse would not go with me. My colored boy was or- 
dered to polish up the brasses of my sword scabbard and 
to black my boots; my 12^ inch paper collar was put on. 
with the tie properly adjusted; personally, I was finally 
ready. 

Why these inconsequential details remain so clearly 
in my memory is one of the vagaries of human nature. 

Colonel Randlett did not appear at the mess table; 
after the supper I found him alone in his tent. "Come 
in. Adjutant," he said, "be seated." We were both silent 
for minutes ; finally the colonel said to me, "This is a fear- 
ful responsibility I am taking in leading these men to 
what for many of them is certain death. It is not of 
these brave boys alone I am thinking, but of the mothers 
and the fathers, sisters and brothers at home, who are 
watching and praying for their safe return ; it's the great 
cj^uestion of duty to my God and country I have been 
struggling to decide within myself." 

Then suddenly turning to me he said, "See that this 
regiment is promptly in line at half past two." This or- 
der I immediately gave to the company commanders. 

Later he told me that the great weight of responsi- 
biHty so bore down upon him that feeling the need of 
God's help to meet it, he called into his tent our good 
Chaplain Hill, and there divine help was called for to win 
the victory. 

At 3 o'clock in the morning, six thousand troops 
were in line upon the l)each in front of the camps, will; 

271 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

the 'Jliird New 1 lanipsliire at ilie head of the Hne One 
division of two l)ri^a(les under eoniniand of General Al- 
fred H. l\M-ry made up the attackini^- party. The order 
had ])een gixen for the whole line to "stack arms" and 
"in place rest;" we had been waiting' for. 1 should say an 
hour or more. 

I w'as standing near my place in line at the right of 
the regiment, wdien up the beach in front of the troops 
a party of horsemen came along. It proved to be Gen- 
eral Terr\- and his staff. They halted almost immediately 
in front of where Colonel Randlett and myself were 
standing". Everything w^'is in readiness. 

We w^ere now^ w^aiting the dawm of day to make the 
attack wdiile the crash and roar of the artillery from our 
siege guns and the warships shook the ground beneath 
out feet, every man w^aiting and watching under a most 
nervous tension of expectancy; in the dim distance in the 
direction of Fort Wagner, we see a scjua d of men ap- 
proaching — a guard of two men and a corporal, conduct- 
ing, as it proved a rebel prisoner. He w^as halted almost 
immediately in front of General Terry. 

"Who have you here?" demanded the general. 

"A prisoner from Fort Wagner," the corporal replied, 
"who came into our lines and says the fort is evacuated." 
The General questioned the prisoner sharply. 

"Now% sir, do you tell me that Fort W^agner is evac- 
uated?" 

"Yes, sir," the prisoner replied," the fort is evacua- 
ted." His statement was not believed. It w^as thought 
to be a ruse of the enemy to get our troops to approach 
unguardedly, that we might be surprised and annihilated. 
The general again questioned the man. "I will give 
you one more chance to tell the truth. If we find that 
the fort is not evacuated, the first gun from the fort will 
be the signal for your death. Now, sir, is the fort evac- 
uated?" 

272 



CAPTURE OF KORT WAGXER AND BATTERY GREGG 

"The fort is evacuated/' replied the ])risoner. 

The order was soon given to move forward, and at 
the head of the column, the 3rd New Hampshire regi- 
ment moved in the direction of Fort Wagner. AMien 
within perhaps 200 yards of the fort, the regiment was 
brought left front into line, the right extending down the 
beach. Skirmishers were sent forward, and we advance 
upon \\'agner. 

The artillery firing has now ceased; it is grow- 
ing lighter; up the slopes we see the skirmishers 
climb onto the parapet of the fort ; it must be true that 
the fort is evacuated ; we follow quickly over the sands 
made red with the blood of hundreds killed and wounded 
but a few days before; w^e are soon in the moat of the 
fort; here we tind surrounding it a chevreaux-de-frize of 
spears or boarding pikes, pointing outward, making it 
necessary to break them down before we can enter the 
fort. Inside the fort we quickly see leading into the maga- 
zine, the remains of a burned fuse, lighted by the enemy 
and timed to blow up the fort when we had entered ; even, 
at this instant it was probably approaching the tons 
of powder, which unless immediately extinguished, 
would blow us all to atoms. AMio was to enter the maga- 
zine to investigate? It was quickly answered by Lieuten- 
ant Trickey, commanding Company H, who without 
hesitation, follows the trace of the burned fuse, finding 
that it had gone out. 

The fort was surely evacuated — but of all horrors 
that met our eyes, the conditions here were most horrible! 
During the bomliardment from our guns, night and day, 
the fire had been so hot and continuous that it gave the 
garrison no time to bury their dead. The ])odies of the 
killed had been hastily thrown over the parapet, and 
rolled down into the ditch on the outside, where they 
were lying literally in piles, the limbs and bodies swollen 
beyond the semblance of human form, with eyes protrud- 

^7Z 



R1-]MIXISCENC^ES OF THE WAR OF THE Kl<:i IKI.hloX 

ing, faces distorted into an expression of liends, the de- 
composition filling the air with stencli intolerable, and be- 
yond endurance — we seemed to have entered the very 
gates of hell — language fails to convey the horrors of the 
conditions. I was filled with a sickening sensation that 
was overcoming. l>nt "On to Fort Gregg" is the order. 

Through the fort and on to Fort Gregg we moved, it 
being the extreme north of the island, and within easy 
range of Sumter. All along the roadway between ^^'agneI" 
and Gregg were similar conditions to those in and around 
Wagner; dead mules and horses, dead men, the ruins of 
army and ammunition wagons which had l)een destroyed 
by our gunsin the attempt of the enemy to supply the gar- 
rison besieged in Fort AVagner. We arrived at Fort Gregg 
to find it also evacuated, and here, too, a fuse had been 
laid and lighted to explode the magazine. Fortunately 
we arrived in time to extinguish it. The last boat load of 
the retreating rebel forces was still in sight and one boat 
load of the troops was soon under our fire, and was forced 
to return and come into our hands as prisoners. A\ e 
are now in full possession of INIorris Island, the city 
of Charleston plainly in sight, "so near and yet so far." 
as it proved to be ; Fort Sumter just across the water with- 
in three-((uarters of a mile, l)ut without a gun to molest us 
yet held by the enemy in their bomb-proofs. The work 
of turning the captured guns upon the city was soon ac- 
complished by the engineers. 



2/4 



CHAPTER XXI. 



Firing Upon Charleston Continued from Cummings Point. 

A Visit to Charleston in 1905 — The Col. Shaw 

Memorial School. — Boat Attack Upon 

Fort Sumter. 

?^^^ FTER the capture of Fort Gregg, lively work had 
n-4jOv to be done in turning the points of resistance 



toward the enemy, and the building of bomb- 
proofs. The fort was practically rebuilt, facing 
Charleston and the rebel batteries on Sullivan and James 
Islands. This having been accomplished. Parrot gims 
were mounted, and firing upon the city was resumed. A 
vigorous protest against the firing upon "British sub- 
jects" from the British consul in Charleston was sent to 
General Gilmore. The general commanding the Union 
forces thought this was far fetched, and no attention 
was given to it. 

In retaliation, General Beauregard ordered that fifty 
Union officers, who were in the rebel prison at Columbia, 
should be placed under fire of our guns, and were brought 
there and put in the Preble house, an old Colonial man- 
sion, not far from the battery that runs along the water 
front of the city. Col. Walter C. Harriman of the nth 
N. H. regiment and later governor of New Hampshire, 
was one of the fifty prisoners. Providentially, or otlier- 
wise, not one of our shots struck the Preble house during 
all the bombarding. 

In the fall of 1905 I visited the city of Charleston, 
and an intensely interesting visit it was. The part of the 

^75 



REM1XIS(M<:XCI':S OK TIII'^ WAR ( »l" 'I'lllO RK1;?:LI.I()X 

cit}' thai was hunicd fi'oni the effects of onr shells hred 
from the Swanip Angel, had many N'ears before been re- 
built, l)iit there were man}- marks of our l)oml)ar(bng- up- 
on the l)uildings nearest tlie water front. J went into the 
St. Michael's church tliat was hit many times l)y our 
shells, the janitor jjointing out to me the pulpit and 
the pews that had replaced those that were 
destroyed; numerous holes in the walls of the 
chiu'ch that had been tilled the marks plainh' to be seen 




CHARLESTON IN RUINS. 



both outside and in; numerous pieces of the very shells 
that had come from our guns, large and small, were 
shown me; I also visited Fort Sumter, this fort having 
been reconstructed into a modern battery, with u-inch 
breech loading rifle guns. I also visited the Preble house, 
where our officers as prisoners were held under lire from 
our guns. 

276 



CAPTURE OF FORT WAGNER AND BATTERY GREGG 

Some years after the close of the War, the negroes 
of the South had collected a fund to build a monument 
to Colonel Shaw, of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, 
who led the brave colored troops in the terrible 
charge upon Fort Wagner during the siege of the city. 
Instead of erecting a monument of stone and bronze, it 
was decided to build a more fitting and practical memo- 
rial in establishing a school for colored children in the 
City of Charleston. It was upon this trip that I visited 
this school. 

Starting out one morning from the hotel to see the 
points of interest I made inquiry of a young colored letter 
carrier as to where the Shaw school was located. A 
brighter boy of his age, some twenty years old, is not of- 
ten met; he was immediately interested, saying "Why! I 
graduated at the Shaw school, and we are not far from it 
now." And walking along we soon came to an open 
square ; across the square, or park, was a long range of 
buildings which our guide told us was the South Caro- 
lina Military Institution. In the centre of the square was 
a monument with a statue in bronze. 

"And who is this ?" I asked the boy. 

"That, sir, is Calhoun, the greatest of South Caro- 
linians." 

I was very glad to see the statue, as well as the Mil- 
itary Institute. I had read much of both. 

Calhoun, the heroic — from a Southern standpoint, the 
great statesman who sowed the first seed of secession, 
and who would have precipitated the Southern Rel)ellion 
that came years after his death, but whom President 
Jackson, (Old Hickory) had laid a heavy hand upon, and 
crushed out an incipient rebellion. 

Our colored boy pointing out the way, we proceeded, 
and soon found the large three story building in which 
was the Shaw memorial school. We met the janitor 

outside of tlie 1)uilding. who informed us that it was not 

277 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

\-isiting" daw 1)iU he would take ni}' card to the i)rincipal, 
and we were seated in the reception room. He returned 
presently saying- the principal would meet us in his office. 
The principal of the school was a gentleman something 
over sixty years of age, and to my surprise, he said he was 
a South Carolinian. I was surprised because of the fact of 
understanding the antipathy of Southerners generally to 




Our Guns Upon Cummings Point. Morris Island. Firing Upon Charleston With Shells 

of Greek Fire. 



the education of the blacks. 1 told him that 1 was from 
New Hampshire, and was interested in know^ing more of 
his school. We were very pleasantly received, and al- 
though it was not visiting day, the Prof, said he woidd 
be glad to show us through the school. 

We first went into the primary room where some 
fifty or more little niggers, as tlicy were callcil, were 



_v< 



CAPTURE OF FORT WAGNER AND BATTERY GREGG 

Struggling with the A. B. C.'s and the "B-()-Y." A most 
interesting group it was. 

In the next room was the grammar grade, the Prin- 
cipal being a bright mulatto young lady. It was a great 
surprise to us to here see the exhibition of intelligence of 
the boys and girls of ten to twelve years of age. Under 
the direction of the teacher, one of the scholars would be 
given an example in arithmetic to be written upon the 
blackboard, and to some of the older ones, examples in 
algebra, which were worked out and explained with won- 
derful intelligence. 

The Professor then said that he would assemble the 
school in the hall above where we w^ould have some music. 
The hall was in the top of the building, where we were 
conducted by the Professor, and wxre seated upon tne 
platform. The Assistant Professor w^as a young man 
from Boston, to whom we were introduced. He came 
there to the city he said, as a pupil in the ]\Iilitary school, 
and after graduating had taken the position as Assistant 
in the Shaw School; during the exercises he played the 
piano accompaniment to the singing of the school. Soon 
after we were seated, the scholars marched up from the 
rooms below and took seats in the hall — nearly one thou- 
sand in all, from the little tots of fi\e or six, to boys and 
girls of sixteen and of all shades of color, from the Afri- 
can jet black to young ladies as white and fair as any of 
the white race. 

I noticed among the white girls, several with l)londe 
hair, but here they were all known as niggers, not negroes 
but nigg-ers ; the taint of the African blood to the remotest 
generation ostracizes all such from the societv of the 
white race. 

We wxre here entertained for nearK' an hour Avith 
the reall}' 1)eautiful music, from these children of the slave 
race. It was a no\el and most interesting experience. 
Hundreds have gone out from this school well equipped 

279 



REMIXISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

for llic duties of life, and many into liij^her institutions 
for a more coni])lete education. 

I'pon this \isit I met sex'cral ex-Confederate officers 
and soldiers, and found tliem invariably courteous and in- 
terestini^-. At the South Carolina .Military acadeni)- 1 met 
Colonel Synies, then the commander of that institution, 
lie told me that he was in command of the Confederate 
guns in I*"ort Johnson on Morris Island durin<;- the siege 
of Charleston. 




INTERIOR OF FORT PUTNAM, FORMERLY FORT GREGG. 



I told Col. vS}-mes that his hatterx- was one of the 
most troublesome of all the forts in the harbor durin|L;' our 
siege operations. 

Col. Symcs was a ty!)ical soldier and gentleman — a 
most intelligent military officer, and his courtesx to us on 
this \isit will long be remembered. 

280 



CAPTURE OF FORT WAGNER AND BATTERY GREGG 

The one most important ol)iect of m}- visit was to 
see Fort Sumter. I was armed with letters of introchic- 
tion from Senator GalHnger to the commandant of the 
military post. Colonel Carziac. I was informed by the 
clerk of the hotel that Col. Carziac's headquarters were 
on Sullivan's Island, and learing the time of the depart- 
ure of the boat we w^ent to the wharf and took the reg- 
ular l)oat across the harbor to the upper end of Sulli- 
van's Island, where an antiquated horse car was in wait- 
ing to take passengers. The Island having become quite 
a summer resort this car line had been established to ac- 
commodate the summer \'isitors chiefly, as well as the 
garrison of Fort Moultrie, A two mile ride, passing 
Fort Moultrie and on, brought us to the military head- 
quarters. 

The buildings to accommodate the garrison were of 
a substantial .kind, although of ordinary architecture. I 
soon found the headquarters of the Colonel connnanding. 
but w^as informed by the adjutant that the Colonel was at 
his private residence, a short w^alk from the headquarters 
building. As we approached the house an officer in uni- 
form descended the steps. The eagle upon his shoulder 
straps gave evidence of his rank, and the Loyal Legion 
button upon his coat quickly satisfied me that it was Col. 
Carziac. He evidently saw the same insignia in the but- 
tonhole of my own coat, for the salute was simultaneous. 

"Colonel Carziac," I said, at the same time handing 
him Senator Gallinger's letter, which made special re- 
quest that I be permitted to visit Fort Sumter. Upon 
reading the same and handing it back, he said, 'T am very 
glad to meet you, but am sorry to say that I cannot grant 
the permit to visit Fort Sumter; the orders of the War 
Department prohibiting all visits to anv fort upon our 
coast without special permit from the Secretarv of \\"ar. 
If the Governor of South Carolina should make the re- 
quest of me I should be obliged to refuse it, adding that 

281 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OK THE REBELLION 

ho would ])C i)leasc(l to lia\c us g'o to his headquarters. 
1 thanked him for his coiu-tes}-, ])Ut if \ could not visit the 
Fort I thought we would return to Charleston. Taking- 
the next car back to the boat landing we returned to the 
city and to our hotel. The failure to visit Fort Sumter 
would be too much of a disappointment not to make fur- 
ther effort to accomplish it. I therefore went to the office 
of the Western Union and sent the following telegram : 
"To the Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. : 

Colonel. Carziac refuses Senator Gallinger's request 
for my visit to Fort Sumter. I was through the War of 
the Rebellion, and upon Morris Island during the Siege 
of Charleston. I came here for the purpose of visiting 
Fort Sumter. Will you instruct Colonel Carziac?" 

]n due course 1 received a reply from the Secretary 
of War, stating that Colonel Carziac had been instructed 
to allow me to visit Fort .Sumter. Before leaving Char- 
leston we went again to Sullivan's Lsland and to Colonel 
Carziac's headquarters, where we met a young lieutenant 
of artillery who informed us that he had been detailed to 
conduct us to Fort Simiter, and if we \\()uld come with 
him to the dock the government launch would take us to 
the Fort. 

Aly anticipations were realized, and I had the sat- 
isfaction after more than fort}- years, of standing upon the 
\valls of Sumter. Looking across the waters to the islands 
upon which the memorable struggle was made for the 
capture of Charleston the scenes of the siege all came 
back to me so vividly. 

Sumter had been reconstructed into a modern fort of 
1 2-inch disappearing guns. Our guide, the young lieu- 
tenant, a most intelligent and agreeable ofificer, gave us 
full information as to the working of the guns. He said 
that upon receiving his instructions to conduct us to the 
I'ort he had just retm-ned from artillery practice. I asked 



282 



CAPTURE OF FORT WAGNER AND BATTERY GREGG 

him if they used the monster looo-poimd expensive shot 
in their practice ? 

Oh, no," he said, ''even the United States govern- 
ment could not afford that; we have for this use an in- 
ner tube to the large guns which carries a fifty pound 
shot, and by which we can get the same effect in the 
matter of gun practice." 

I asked him as to the accuracy of their firing, and he 
replied, "We can average four hits out of six shots at a 
target the size of a ship four miles away." 

We were now on the return to the city direct, upon 
the government launch. I said to the lieutenant, " I sup- 
pose you have time to enjoy the social life of Charles- 
ton?" 

Oh, yes, we have time,' he said, " but the ofiicers of 
the United States Army are not received nor rcognized 
by Charleston society. 

"Why," I replied, "I do not understand that." 

"Yes,' he says, "I am called a damned Yankee be- 
cause of the fact that I wear the United States Govern- 
ment uniform, and I am a Virginian myself, and my 
grandfather and three uncles were killed in the Confed- 
erate service during the War, yet I am ostracized by 
the society people of Charleston because I wear the 
United States uniform." 

My only reply was "The shades of Washington de- 
fend us ! can this be possible in this year 1905?" 

The lieutenant added, " This feeling is largely con- 
fined to the women of the South, and the young men of 
the second and third generation." 

I found that the best reconstructed people of the 
South and the most loyal to the old flag are the surviv- 
ing ofiicers and soldiers of the Southern army. 

And now to return to the story of the siege. 

The firing upon Fort Sumter was continued at in- 
tervals from our siege guns to prevent any work of re- 

283 



CAPTURl': ()!>' J'ORT WAGXER AND BATTERY GREGG 

l)airs or rciiioiintiiiL;' of i^iins; the tiring" from the enemy's 
guns was also continued from I'\)rt Moultrie and Fort 
Johnson, directed more especially upon our new position 
at Fort Gregg. 

The rebel garrison was still holding Fort Sumter, 
protected hy the bomb-proofs of the fort which had not 
yet been penetrated. The honor of actual possession of 




INTERIOR OF FORT WAGNER. 



Fort Sumter after our long and bloody contest for its re- 
duction was something worth one last effort : a plan for an 
assault from ()])en l)()ats was made 1)\' Admiral Dahlgren, 
who had succeeded Admiral r)u])ont in the command of 
the naval forces, and by a remarkable coincidence. Gen- 
eral Gilmore also ordered an assault from o]:)en l)oats, and 
without co-operation the movement was made upon the 
same night. 

284 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

"Hie assault was made upon the night of Sept. 8th, 
and met with repulse and disaster. Details from the 3rd 
and 4th N. H. regiments, and I think from several other 
different regiments, proceeded in boats up the creeks on 
the interior of the island to the upper end of Morris 
Island and into the harbor. The boats of the navy how- 
ever, had an earlier start, and had already made the at- 
tack. I was not in this attacking party, but here is the 
story as told by Lieutenant Commander Stevens, who 
was in command of the naval forces: 

As the boats were pulling away from the ships oil 
the start. Admiral Dahlgren said to me, "You have only 
to go and take possession — you will find nothing but a 
corporal's guard to oppose you." 

^^'e finally shoved ofif and moved slowly on our way 
to the fort. It was a calm, clear, starlight night. The 
only sound was the steady thumping of the tug's propeller 
and nothing was seen ahead but the grim, half defined 
outline of the fort. When the master of the tug re- 
ported that he could go no farther, the boats were cast 
off, the divisions were formed, and Higginson, an officer 
of courage and judgment, was directed to carry out the 
instructions previously given him. He accordingly moved 
off to do so, and most of the division commanders dashed 
off also, under the impression that his movements was .a 
general one, and that the order to advance had been given. 
Efforts to recall them were made, but in vain. Nothing 
remained to do but to give the order for the remaining 
jjoats to make the best of their way to the fort 

As we neared Sumter, we were hailed loudly by the 
enemy, but no answer was returned. Simultaneously a 
rocket was sent up from the fort, and almost as it ex- 
ploded the air was filled with hissing, shrieking missiles 
from the James and vSullivan Island batteries, wdiich seem- 
ed alive with fire, while an iron-clad was pouring grape 
and cannister into the boats and sweeping the approaches 

285 



CAPTl'RE OF FORT WAGNER AND BATTERY GREGG 

to the g'orge. The parapets and crown of Snmter were 
filled with men ])ouring" a murderous fire down on our de- 
fenseless party, and heavy missiles and hand grenades 
helped on the work of destruction. Before this fire had 
fully developed, two boats from the Powhattan and others 
had effected a landing. As was subsequently learned, 
their crews and officers were driven to shelter and taken 
prisoners. 

All these things were evidences of the enemy's fore- 
knowledge of our purpose and complete preparations to 
frustrate it. The corporal's guard that we were to have 
encountered proved to exceed our own numbers. Under 
these conditions but one expedient was left — to effect an 
early withdrawal. The order to return was accordingly 
given through Lieutenant Forrest and was several times 
repeated. 

Admiral Dahlgren, who was watching the operations 
from a boat in the distance, says in his journal, "Moultrie 
fired like a devil, the shells breaking around me and 
screaming in chorus." A\"hat must have been the impres- 
sion in the midst of the cyclone, when the air was blaz- 
ing with bursting shells and the ear was deafened with 
the roar of cannon, the rattle of musketry, the whistling 
of grape and the explosion of hand-grenades. 

Withdrawing in the barge from the vortex of the fire, 
we remained near the fort to afTord assistance to any dis- 
abled comrades, and about 4 o'clock, as day broke, we 
pulled to the flagship to report the results of the assault 
and determine the extent of our loss. We found tlii'^ 
amounted to 124 killed, w^oundcd and missing out of 400 
men who had taken part in the assault. 



286 



CHAPTER XXII. 



Continuation of the Siege of Charleston. Execution of 
Private Kendall for Desertion. 



-■^JQ 



X mv descriptions in these reminiscences, I have 

"Wfc^ possibly taken it too much as a matter of course 

^"^ that military terms would be understood. The 

important and interesting work of a "flying sap" 

durino- this siesfe has been mentioned from time to 








CtTi urLLCS'S 



time. In commencing siege operations against a fortifi- 
cation, the first parallel is established at a comparatively 
safe distance from the enemy. The approach and second 
parallel is made In" the "flying sap," which is done in this 
wa_\' : ]'"ach man takes two gabions — a gal)i()n is jiracti- 

287 



REMINISCEXrES OF THE WAR OF TFIE REBELLION 

cally a lart^c hottomlcss l)asket. 30 inclics in dianicter by 
live feet in lieiL;lit, made 1^_\' the engineers who had l)een 
taught the art, made of small saplings or hrusii, cut 
\vhere\cr it can be found, from the size of the little finger 
to an inch in diameter — each man witli two gal)ions, a 
shovel and a ])ick-axe. mo\es forward tlie distance re- 
c|uired and plants the gabions in line. W hen the com - 
maud is gi\en, each man tills with earth the two gabions 
in front of him, which occui)y a space of about six feet. 
^^'hen the gabions are lilled, a sufficient amount of earth 
is thrown over them to form a natural slope from the top 
to the level of the earth in front. Sometimes this ad- 
^'ance work is thrown u]) hastily without the use of the 
gabion. This ])recedes the construction of each parallel, 
and is usually done under |)r()tection of the darkness of 
the night. 

Notwithstan.ding the practical closing of the siege 
operations, each arnu' was upon the alert. The word 

"alertness" was of the greatest importance in all military 
oi)erations, each side taking ad\atUage of anv weak 
points developed by the other. 

Besides the regular cam]) and picket guard constant- 
ly maintained, a detail was sent e\er}- night in boats for 
guard and patrol duty along the numerous creeks be- 
tween the islands. 

This dut}' was hazardc)us and of the greatest import- 
ance. Tt was the natural and only approach the eneni)- 
had in an\' attack the\' luight make u])on our forces u])on 
A [orris Island. 

The details of this dut\' were selected from the best 
material in each regiment, our own regiment furnishing 
its quota and was on dut\' one night in every three. 
Lieutenant J. Ilomer I'Ldgerly, one of the youngest of our 
officers, and who had already won the confidence of his 
commanding officers for his courage, skill and discretion, 
was in command of the detail from the 3rd X. IT. Our 

28<S 



EXECUTION OF PRIVATE KENDALL FOR DESERTION 

patrol boats would sometimes approach too near to the 
enemy for safety. One night, one of the boats in com- 
mand of Captain Wadsworth barely escaped capture after 
quite a scrimmage in which bullets flew thick and fast, 
but without damage. 

On this same night, one of the patrol boats with a 
detail from the 4th and 7th N. H. regiments, approach- 
ing too near James Island, had a very narrow escape 
from capture, and a sorry day it would have been for one, 
at least, of the occupants of that boat, had they fallen 
into the hands of the Confederates. John L. Thompson, 
whose military service was a romantic experience, would 
undoubtedly have ended his earthly career in the hands 
of the enemy from whom he had deserted. 

When the 4th Regiment was in Florida a few 
months before. Sergeant Thompson came into our lines, 
declaring that his loyalty to the old flag was too great 
to allow him to serve longer with the rebels in arms 
against our government, although he himself was a 
Southerner. Enlisting in the 4th N. H. Regiment he 
served through the War, doing his part faithfully in 
fighting for the old flag in the suppression of the Rebel- 
lion. Sergeant Thompson is well and favorably known in 
Nashua, having made his home here since the War. 

In that boat also was Captain James A. Cobb, then 
a second lieutenant of the 7th N. H. Vols., one of Nash- 
ua's well known veterans, who served through the War, 
bravely facing all the dangers of the battles in which his 
regiment took part. 

In the same detail was Albert N. Flinn, a'so of 
Nashua, although conspicuous by his bravery in many 
engagements he always refused promotion, prefering to 
serve with his rifle in the ranks with the boys. Twice 
hit by rebel missil€s, once by a bullet and once by a 
grape shot and by a most remarkable circumstance in 



289 



REMINISCENCES OP" THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

both instances his life was saved by his cartridge box at 
his side. 

There were other private soldiers in the ranks, fight- 
ing the battles of the war, doing valiant and conspicuous 
service, who also refused promotion. Private Martin 
Haines, who after the War became Congressman from 
the second district of New Hampshire, a newspaper editor 
and an influential politician, and among the leaders of the 




INTERIOR OF FORT STRONG, FORMERLY FORT WAGNER. 

G. A. R. of our state, was a marked instance of those 
who refused to wear the shoulder strap. 

Our regiment had been so depleted in nundjers b\' 
losses from death and discharge for disal)ility. that rein- 
forcements were necessary. Recruiting had been going 
on throughout the North, and up to this time no force 
had been used in the way of a draft of men for the army 
by our governnient ; large bounties had been ofifered and 

290 



EXECUTION OF PRIVATE KENDALL FOR DESERTION 

paid for men to enlist, ranging from one hundred dollars 
to I think as high as fifteen hundred. 

Our colonel commanding had been informed that 250 
recruits were on the way to join our regiment and one 
night early in October it was announced that they had ar- 
rived on one of the steamers from the North at Port 
Royal. A few days later, there came marching up from 
the beach, with Colonel Michael T. Donohoe in com- 
mand, the 250 recruits for our regiment. 

Colonel Donohoe had been sent by the govenor of 
New Hamphire with the recruits. Colonel Donohoe 
was our Captain Donohoe of the 3rd Regiment, one of 
the original officers who had served with us up to the 
lime of and through the battle of James Island; soon af- 
ter this he was commissioned as Colonel of the lOth 
N. H. Regiment, and had seen service in Virginia during 
the past year. Being somewhat out of health he had 
been in New Hampshire upon recruiting service. Our 
regiment being very short of officers, the colonel being 
in New Hampshire on a leave of absence, the lieutenant- 
colonel in a rebel prison-pen, and the major on detail as 
provo-marshal. General Gilmore ordered Colonel Dono- 
hoe to take command of the regiment and was retained 
in command for several weeks, until the return of Colonel 
Jackson from his leave of absence. He was one of the 
brightest and bravest of New Hampshire's soldiers; he 
was made brigadier-general 1)\' Brevet before the close 
of the war. Mike Donohoe, as he was familiarly called, 
was one of the most witty, jovial and companionable of 
men during his stay with us at Morris Island, he en- 
thused new life into the whole camp. A good story is 
told of Colonel Donohoe. After the war, he was located 
in Boston and some of his friends joined in having his 
portrait painted for some Hibernian or other public hall. 
It was in the artist's studio; the artist meeting on the 
street an Irishman, who he happened to know was a mem- 

291 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



ber of Colonel Doiiohoe's regiment in the war, called 
him into his studio, saying he wanted to show him a 
picture of his old Colonel. It was upon the easel and still 
unfinished. The Irishman gazed with admiration upon 
the picture and approaching it was about to place his 
hand upon it when the artist says, "Stop, stop, it is not 

dry!" "Not dry," 
the Irishman re- 
peated, "not dry," 
then it surely 
can't be Mike 
Donohoe." 

Another story 
characteristic o f 
the quick wit of 
Colonel Donohoe, 
is too good to be 
lost. Colonel 
Donohoe was in 
the field at the 
head of his com- 
mand in acti\-e 
operations in \'ir- 
ginia. His wife at 
that time was li\- 
ing in Lowell. An 
imj^ortant e\ent 
with Mrs. Dono- 
hoe was expected 
daily, when one 
legram fr(jm Lowell stating 
o him a new recruit for the 
reading the message the 
'Muster him in and set him 




GEN. M. T. DONOHOE. 

da}- the Colonel recei\ed a le 
that his wife had to present t 
loth New Hampshire. Cpon 
colonel immediately replied, ' 
to work at the breastworks." 



292 



iiir-riiiiiiliiiiiiitliilllM^^^ 



< 



8 > 

2 K. 







EXECUTION OF PRIVATE KENDALL FOR DESERTION 

At the close of the war and the return home of the 
New Hampshire troops, General Donohoe was in com- 
mand of two of the returning regiments. Upon invitation 
of the Mayor of Nashua, his command stopped over for 
a reception and collation ; for the benefit of the citizens a 
dress parade was given by the troops upon Main Stret. 

At the close of the ceremony the collation was held, 
and, as I understand, upon Abbott Square. The offtcers 
dismounting, several small boys who were ever ready for 
such business, took the horses to care for during the col- 
lation. It so happened that Charlie Williams, son of 
Ex-Mayor Williams, then a boy of some ten or twelve 
years of age, had charge of General Donohoe's horse. 
When the horses were again wanted, young Williams 
was on hand with the General's horse, who mounting, 
rode away, his mind being preoccupied with his duties. 
He said nothing to the boy, but as he rode away young 
W^illiams called after him: "General! General! The 
General stopped, turned to the boy: "Well, what is it 
young boy?" "Oh, nothing, nothing," said Charlie. 
"Only I thought I would say that if you missed your 
pocketbook, I wanted you to know that you did not take 
it out here." 

The next morning after the arrival of the recruits 
they were lined up in front of my tent, to be assigned 
to the different companies of the regiment in proportion 
to the strength of the companies. One incident occurs to 
me at this time which may not be worth the telling but 
was amusing to me at the time. As I threw the flap of 
my tent back and stepped out. a smile went along the 
line, and quite a little nudging of elbows and uncalled for 
remarks. One within my hearing was "Look at the boy." 
I also remember that I had my own convictions as to the 
situation, mentally making note that a few weeks of dis- 
cipline would teach them respect for the shoulder straps, 
if not for the individual. 

295 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

Many of these recruits proved to be good soldiers, 
while many were bounty junipers, and needed the most 
vigorous discipline. Several were deserters, and deser- 
tions commenced soon after they joined the regiment. 

In our department, the deserters necessarily went 
over to the enemy, there being no avenue to the north 
except by our steamships. One who had made the at- 




INTERIOR OF FORT MOULTRIE. 

tempt was found in the bottom of the creek, stuck fast in 
the mud, and dead, with no less than fifty canteens tied 
around him as a life preserver that did not work. An- 
other deserter, John Kendall by name, of Company G, 
in attempting to get across the marshes, became stuck in 
the mud and was captured. A court-martial immediately 
followed and the sentence of death was imposed. The 
day was fixed for his execution, "to be shot to death 
with musketry." 

296 



Execution of private kendall for desertion 

In time of war desertion is considered the most 
heinous of all crimes. A soldier in deserting to the en- 
emy may carry information that possibly endangers the 
safety of the army and the sacrifice of the lives of thou- 
sands. 

The ceremony of an execution for desertion is al- 
ways in the presence of all troops within the command 
and in a manner to give the most profound impression. 
The whole army was ordered out to witness this execu- 
tion, some eight to ten thousand troops in line along the 
beach, extending for a mile or more. Colonel Randlett 
of our regiment, was at this time provo-martial and the 
execution was under his direction, with Lieutenant David 
Wadsworth in command of the guard and firing party. 
The prisoner was taken from the guard house, hand- 
cuffed with hands behind him, and shackled, put into an 
open army wagon, and made to sit upon his coffin and 
there to ride along the whole front of the line. In front 
was a drum corps with muffled drums, playing the dead 
march. A platoon of soldiers with arms reversed imme- 
diately in front of the w^agon, and in the rear, another 
platoon of soldiers with arms reversed. This was the 
usual formation for military funerals. 

In marching past our regiment Kendall recognizing 
some of the men of his company, cried out to them, in 
reckless bravado; his shouts were received in grim silence. 
Having passed the whole length of the line the march 
was then retraced to the center and front, and down the 
broad beach to the water's edge. The Army was then 
massed in three sides of a hollow square; the coffin then 
placed at the opening of the square next to the water; 
the prisoner's coat and cap removed, then blindfolded and 
made to kneel upon his coffin, facing inward, he keeping 
up the same indifference to his fate to the last. 

A detail of twelve men had been made for the firing 
party; nine of the rifles had been loaded with ball cart- 

297 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

ridges and three with blaii.k cartridges, no man of the 
twehe knowing to a certainty tiiat his rifle was one of the 
nine by which the Hfe of the man would be taken. 

Practically the whole army upon Morris Island is 
massed for the ceremony, in spectacular array. General 
Terry in command of the forces for this occasion, and his 
staff, all in full resplendent dress uniforms, mounted upon 
their horses, which also are in resplendent trappings, and 
in the rear of that part of the line facing the opening 
of the hollow S(|uare, and the waters of the harbor. Gen- 
erals of brigades with their stales, presenting a like ap- 
pearance, are in the rear of their brigades. Colonels of 
regiments with their field and staiY of^cers in their places 
in the rear of their several regiments. I was in my place 
mounted, in rear of the right of my regiment and quite 
near the prisoner. Company commanders and their lieu- 
tenants in the rear of their companies. The men in line 
in full dress uniform are standing at parade rest. The 
colors of each regiment, the Stars and Stripes, and the 
standard of the state of each regiment, held by their color 
bearers, are floating slowly and solemnly in the breeze. 
The only sound is that of the surf upon the beach and 
the boom of the siege guns at long intervals. The firing 
party has moved up to their place twenty paces in front 
of the condemned soldier. Xow all is in readiness; in the 
silence of death and with bated breath 10,000 troops are 
looking upon the scene. The orders to the firing party 
are given by signals — Lieutenant W'adsworth raises his 
sword ; the arms of the men come to a "ready" — another 
signal of the sword and the rifles are brought to an aim; 
the sword of the Lieutenant then descends, quickly fol- 
lowed by the sharp report of the rifles, the man pitches 
forward over his cofhn in instant death. 

The whole army was then marched past the body 
where it lay upon the beach as it fell, and back to their 
several camps. 

298 



CHAPTER XXIIl. 



ARMY RED TAPE. 

Leave of Absence and Trip to Florida — Incidents of 

Camp Life. 




ORTUNA'J'E in escaping the shot and shell of the 
enemy, I did not escape the malaria- so prevalent 
in the whole army of the south. An excessive 
use of quinine had caused temporary deafness, and the 
remedy gave no relief. Although not sick enough to be 
sent to the hospital, I was unfitted for duty much of the 
time for several weeks. I continued to fight against it. 
however, until early in October, I applied for a leave of 
absence. 

Orders had been issued prohibiting leaves of absence 
beyond the limits of the department except in cases where 
it was necessary, in the language of the order, "to save 
life or prevent permanent disability." Large numbers of 
the sick and wounded were sent to the general hospital at 
Hilton Head. I preferred to remain with my regiment,, 
having comfortable quarters in a tent by myself, and with 
an attendant I got along very well. 

Now, for the first time, the pangs of homesickness 
came, and with a determination to take a leave of absence, 
if possible, and go home for a visit. I therefore applied 
in a formal way for a leave of absence for thirty days. 
The red tape of military business is unlimited, and is as 
positive as the movements of complicated machinery — ■ 
every part is adjusted to its place by arbitrary and des- 

299 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

potic law, and it is enforced by all the power of military 
authority, in every instance where the commanding offi- 
cer is competent to command. 

My application for leave of absence was written n])()ii 
a half sheet regulation size of letter paper — first it was 
presented to the colonel commanding the regiment, and 
by him endorsed, "approved and respectfull}' forwarded."' 
Having received the approval of the colonel, I then sent 
my application by an orderly to brigade headquarters, the 
brigade commander then approved and gave his signa- 
ture personally to the endorsement ; then the paper was 
taken by a mounted orderly to the division commander, 
who personally wrote upon the folded document "ap- 
proved and respectfully forwarded;" then the application, 
was forwarded to department headquarters at Hilton 
Head with otlier official papers, by steamer, for the ap- 
proval of the general commanding the department. .\t 
these headquarters the paper is received by the assistant 
adjutant general, the executive of the general command- 
ing, and upon the application he wrote, "Adjutant C"()])p 
is ordered to appear before the medical examining board 
at Morris Island for examination." Then the pa])er wa^ 
returned through the same channel that it came, but at 
each headquarters, the document going from a higher to 
a lower in rank and signed by the assistant adjutant- 
general of each commander, "By order of the general 
commanding." 

This rule applies in all official communications. An\- 
one of the commanding officers could have disapproved 
of my a])plication for reasons oi his own and returned tin- 
same endorsed "Disapproved and respectful]}- forwarded"" 
and from this there was no appeal. 

Another instance now occurs to me of arm\- "red 
tape". I wished to go to Folly Island to \isit friends ii; 
camp there- and made application in writing to do so. 
Folly Island, it will be remembered, was next south of 

300 




ihiv f — 






.t^^fc 



't'li'^'ill 



LEAVE OF ABSENCE AND TRIP TO FLORIDA 

Morris Island, across Lighthouse inlet, and was still oc- 
cupied by our troops, boats and barges going and coming 
between the islands. My application was at once approv- 
ed by the colonel commanding and forwarded through 
the regular channel above described to department head- 
quarters at Port Royal, and returned with all the endorse- 
ments of the different headquarters, permission being 
granted by General Quincy A. Gilmore, commanding the 
department of the south. It was several days before the 
application as approved reached me, then I rode down to 
the wharf, left my horse with an orderly, crossed over on 
one of the boats and returned within half an hour from 
the time of leaving camp. 

I had enlisted the surgeon of my regiment in my be- 
Iialf, Dr. Buzzell, who was a good friend of mine, a good 
friend of every man in the regiment; as it happened, he 
was on the medical examining board before whom I must 
appear for examination. 

Dr. Buzzell was a Christian gentleman — a man of 
high ideals — a good physician, faithful to his trust — he 
gave his life to his country, dying while in the discharge 
of his duties- soon after being appointed surgeon of the 
hospital ship at the battle of Fort Fisher in January, 1865. 

The day came for my examination ; it was necessary 
for me to go to division headquarters, a mile or more 
away, and Dr. Buzzell came for me with an ambulance. 
•After the examination, he remained with the board for a 
consultation, I returning in the ambulance to nn' head- 
quarters. I waited for several hours to know my fate, 
with intense interest, for whatever disease there 
may have been there was no question 
as to a genuine case of homesickness — the first 
time I had been attacked by this malady since leaving 
home for the war. My tent was near the beach, and my 
whole attention was given to watching for the appear- 
ance of Dr. Buzzell. Finally, I saw him coming up the 

303 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

beach and before he reached my tent, with an ominous 
shake of his head, my hopes were dashed. He told me 
that the l)oard had recommended a leave of absence with- 
in the department; that they could not certify that it was 
necessary, in my case, "to save life or prevent permanent 
disability" for me to go north. 

I made the best of the situation and accepted a leave 
of absence for thirty days within the department, with 
the purpose of going to Florida, which was understood 
to be a more healthful place, free from malaria. 

A steamer was leaving for St. Augustine, with a 
regiment of troops, the 24th Massachusetts. T engaged 
passage and a berth, and sailed within a few days for Flor- 
ida. After a very pleasant passage, first landing at Fer- 
nandina, where the Massachusetts troops disembarked, we 
reached St. Augustine early on the evening of the second 
day of October. 

At that time St. Augustine had no modern improve- 
ments, no new buildings; but was the old, old town built 
of the lime rock, quarried near the town. This lime rock, 
so called, is of shell formation and unlike anything I had 
ever seen, the material being so coarse that the fossil 
and almost microscopic shell could be plainly seen with 
the naked eye. Nearly all of St. Augustine was built of 
this material, many of the buildings in all stages of di- 
lapidation. 

It is the oldest town in the country, settled long be- 
fore the founding of Jamestown, Virginia. The old 
Spanish Fort Marion was built of the same lime rock 
material, a fort that modern guns would quickly destroy. 
This fort was and is an object of great interest. 

I seemed to be in a foreign town, so unlike any 
northern town or city, many of the streets so narrow 
and the buildings so constructed that many of the houses 
nearly met at the top over the center of the street. My 



304 



LEAVE OF^ ABSEXC'E AND TRIP TO FLORIDA 

recollection is that the streets were not many of them 
over lo to 12 feet wide. 

I found very comfortable quarters at the only hotel 
in town, the Planter House, a two-story wooden building 
not far from the old town gate at the north end of the 
town. This old town gate, one of the relics of the Span- 
ish rule. I understand is still one of the attractions of the 
old city. 

During my stay in St. Augustine, I occupied my time 
chiefly in wandering about the streets, also visiting the 
plantations of some of the residences. I remember with 
pleasure the acquaintance made of an old-time Southern 
gentleman, Mr. Dumas, wdio owned one of the finest res- 
idences in town, with large grounds with fruit and orna- 
mental trees; I especially remember his orange and 
guava trees, from which he liberally supplied me from 
time to time. I was particularly fond of the guava, a fruit 
that it is impossible to market, quickly maturing and de- 
caying after it is picked from the tree. 

One building of great interest was the old Spanish 
Catholic cathedral — this I was told was more than 250 
years old at that time. In this building, eml)ellished with 
the usual Catholic emblems, "the dim religious light" had 
been continually burning through all thcxse vears. 

Under this radical change of conditions, I improved 
rapidly, and was quite ready to return to my regiment at 
the end of my lea\'e of absence. Upon rejoining my 
regiment at Alorris Island, I found much the same condi- 
tions that I had left nearly four weeks l^efore. Colonel 
Jackson had returned from the Xorth and assumed com- 
mand of the regiment and to him I reported for duty. 

Oin- adxance to^^•ar(l Charleston evidenth' had come 
to a halt. Morris Island had been ca])ture(l and Fort 
Sumter reduced to a pile of ruins, and \et Charleston 
was bevond our reach. 



305 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE RP^BELLION 

There appeared to be no plan for a further advance. 
Occasionally shots were being sent against Fort Sumter, 
and for a time the firing upon the city from Fort Gregg 
continued. A portion of the troops had been sent for op- 
erations in Florida, but our regiment still remained on 
Morris Island. 

The days and the weeks went by, the time being oc- 
cupied in routine duties and drills upon the broad, hard 
beach. It was found necessary to move our camp 
back further from the beach, the tides encroaching upon 
our grounds, my tent upon the side hill on the same line 
with that of the colonel, lieutenant-colonel and major. 
Chaplain Hill also having a tent near that of my own, 
which was also the regimental postoffice, the chaplain 
making himself useful as postmaster in addition to his 
other duties. In some way, I do not remember from just 
where it came, I had secured lumber enough for a floor 
and frame to my tents. At this time I had two wall tents, 
the front tent for my office, the rear tent for my private 
use. 

When any carpenter work was to be done, it was only 
necessary to send to one or more of the companies, a de- 
tail for the work, and as a rule, the men always responded 
cheerfully; and now I have a little story in this connection 
to tell, of an exception where the man detailed for work 
upon my tent in building the frame and laying the floor, 
did the work under protest. 

I should not tell the story if I thought it was anything 
detrimental to the man. A\Miile he could not refuse to 
obey the order, he protested in a mild way. upon the 
ground that he enlisted to fight for his country, and that 
this kind of work should be provided for in some other 
way. This man was a recruit, and proved to be a good 
soldier; he was one of the oldest men in the regiment and 
a Nashua man, and is now one of our \ery oldest and 
most respected citizens. It is to his credit that ho did the 

306 



LEAVE OF ABSENCE AND TRIP TO FLORIDA 

work of laying the floor of the tent and building the frame 
in a very workmanlike manner. I suppose the old gentle- 
man, for he was really old to me at that time, being about 
forty or more years of age, knowing me at home as a boy, 
and not having been in the service long enough to recog- 
nize the great difit'erence between civil and military life, 
rather resented the order. 

All official business of the regiment passes through 
the adjutant's office; all orders given by the colonel com- 
manding are put in writing and promulgated by the ad- 
jutant; copies of the same kept for the files, and are also 
recorded. I had in my office an office desk, not a roll top 
desk, for this was a thing unknown at that time and would 
have been much too cumbersome to transport — my desk, 
was little more than a box, with pigeon holes. This with 
several camp chairs was carried along through our whole 
service. I had for assistants at my tent the sergeant- 
major, a clerk and an orderly, frequently I would detail 
a drummer boy to act as orderly. One of the boys I re- 
member as especially bright, prompt and soldierly — we 
called him "Spider" for short; I do not recall his name, I 
think it was Gracie. 

Many years after the war, probably twenty to twenty- 
five, I was in Boston and in the lobby of the Parker 
House, when a well dressed, fine appearing man ap- 
proached me, asking if my name was not Copp — Ad- 
jutant Copp of the old 3rd New Hampshire. I said he 
was correct in his supposition. He then asked me if I re- 
membered one of my drummer boys "Spider." I said I 
did very well, but I thought he could not be the same. 
He said it was true that his name was Gracie, "Spider," 
the drummer boy. Of course an interesting talk followed 
in which he said he had been remarkably fortunate in 
life and had retired from business, that if I had the time 
he would be glad to take me around to New York in his 



307 



R]-]ML\iS("i':.\('ios ()!•' Tiiio WAK ()!•' Tiii<: m-; I UOl .l.K iX 

yacht that w.'is Ixiny- at anclior in the harlx)!". The triitli 
of liis statement 1 ha\e no reason to doubt. 

As the season achanced the nii^iits became cooh I 
think it was al)out the tirst of 13eceml)er, I called upon 
Quartermaster Hinds to see if he could furnish me a (juan- 
tit\- of l)rick, with which to build a furnace under the i1oor 
of m\' tent. I knew that the (luartermaster had fcnmd 
l)rick for an o\en in which the l)read was bein<;- baked for 
our regiment. He told me that the brick for this purpose 
came from the ruined chimney of the old Beacon house, 
the only building on the island and was not sure that he 
could get more. 'J he next morning, howe\'er, I found a 
load of brick in front of my tent ; the next thing was a 
mason to do the work — that I found one is very certain, 
for I ha\e a distinct recollection that the furnace was 
built and with the chinme_\' on the outside, and that it 
was a success. Although fuel was a scarce commodity 
upon the island, I found enough for my use through the 
winter. The days were comfortable, the evem'ngs and 
nights quite cold : one morning 1 found ice in my wash 
basin the thickness of ordinary window glass. 

There was no growth of wood upon Morris Island, 
and the supply for our cam])s came from adjacent islands 
where men were sent in details by companies for this 
purpose. Three companies of our own regiment weie 
detailed and ordered into camp upon one of the islands. 
whose wdiole duty was to cut wood, and boat it u\^ the 
creeks to Alorris Island. One morning after cpiite a hea\y 
storm, we fomid the beach strewn with logs. man\' of 
them chained together in sections, and at the time it was 
said to be the remains of old tloating batteries used by 
Beauregard in the U])per harbors; these logs were (|uite 
an addition to our fuel sui)])ly. They were of South Car- 
olina pine: (piite a percentage of the logs were cut into 
canes for souvenirs, one of which 1 sent home to my 
father. 

308 



LEAVE OF ABSENCE AND TRIP TO FLORIDA 

The government was now making strenuous efforts 
to keep up the strength of the army by new enhstments, 
and had now as an inducement for the old soldiers to re- 
enlist, offered quite a bounty and a furlough of 30 days; 
the amount of the bounty does not occur to me at this 
time, not having had the benefit of it myself. Something 
like two hundred of our men had re-enlisted ; and on the 23d 
of February, and this was in 1864, Col. Aaron F. Stevens 
of the 13th New Hampshire regiment, had been sent by 
the governor of New Hampshire to take command of the 
re-enlisted New Hampshire veterans who were going 
home on furloughs. 

Upon the arrival of Colonel Stevens, interest centered 
upon the preparations for the furloughs for the re-enlisted 
men and the leaves of absence for a certain numl^er of 
officers who were to be detailed to take command of these 
troops. I thought here was my opportunity, and T made 
application accordingly, and was one of the fortunate ones 
selected for this duty. 

Col. Aaron F. Stevens was Nashua's leading lawyer, 
wdio had left his books and briefs early in the war, and had 
taken up the sword and spurs he was so well fitted by na- 
ture to wear. We were personally good friends then, but 
later experiences brought us together under extraordinary 
conditions, both seriously wounded and carried to the 
same hospital and there in our convalescence were ties of 
friendship formed, as between many soldiers of the w^ar 
under like conditions, that are beyond the ordinary, and 
that no subsequent experience can ever break. Later in 
the campaign of 1864 in Virginia, in the hot. hard fight- 
ing in front of Richmond, Colonel Stevens for distin- 
guished services won the star of a brigadier-general. 

General Stevens was with us 1)efore our departure 
for the North al)out two weeks, and during his stay was 
entertained by the officers of our regiment. A\ hile with 
us we fre(|uenth' visited the north end of the ishmd, P)at- 

309 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

tery Gregg, from which point the tiring was still going on 
upon Charleston. A horse was furnished Colonel :5tevens 
for his use during his stay with us. On one occasion a 
number of mounted of^ftcers, including General Stevens 
and myself, had ridden up to the "front," as the line near- 
est the enemy is always called, and riding 
back down the broad beach, some two or 
three miles to our camp, without prearrangement 
we tried the speed of our horses. "Don," the horse I had 
purchased from the heirs of Adjutant Libby, had proved 
a thoroughbred. I was proud of his qualities, but here 
another phase of his character developed, showing his 
mettle and testing my own. In this race I won by a long 
distance, but that is not the whole story; I soon found my- 
self leaving the other officers in the rear as we flew down 
the beach, and turning to them, I waved good-bye. and 
then gave attention to my horse, which was fairly flymg 
through the air, and for two miles or more without less- 
ening his speed, but rather increasing it. we sped along 
the hard sands of the beach. 

In approaching the camp. I pulled upon the reins, Init 
made no impression upon the speed of my horse— but 
faster and faster I seemed to go. Passing our own camp 
and on with increased speed, as it seemed to me. I could 
not make any impression upon the bit: the beast evident- 
Iv had it between his teeth. Pulling upon the reins hav- 
ing no effect, my own mettle began to be stirred, and I 
put mv spurs into the sides of the runaway, to give him, 
as I tol<l him I would if he did not let up, all he wanted; 
but on we flew into and through the camp of one of the 
New York regiments, knocking down one of their tents in 
the wild course. The men, surprised and angry, of course, 
I could hear swearing about the damned drunken ofl^cer 
riding through their camp, who would kill someone be- 
fore he knew it, not knowing the fact that it was an in- 
voluntary ride on my part. My horse finally, m the soft 

310 



-^ 




THE ADJUTANT AND DON READY FOR DUTY. 



LEAVE OF ABSENCE AND TRIP TO FLORIDA 

sands, became winded and concluded to let me ha\e my 
way, and I rode back to our camp. 

^^> missed our major, Jobn Bedel, who was captured 
at the Battle of Fort \\'ag'ner, and was now in a rebel 
prison at Columljia, South Carolina, as w^e had heard 
througdi rebel sources. Major Bedel was an able, coura- 
geous and valuable officer, the most energ-etic officer in 
our camp, ever at work for the interest of the officers and 
men of our regiment. By his confinement in a rebel prison 
pen for eighteen months, it is undoubtedly true that he 
lost opportunities that would have placed him high in 
rank in the Union Army. Although he was in the service 
but a short time after his release, he was made Brevet- 
Brigadier-General. General Bedel was a man of unusual 
al)ilities — by profession a lawyer- — instinctively a militarv 
man — he had experience in the Mexican War. After the 
war and his return to New Hampshire, he was a frecjuent 
visitor at Nashua, his wife being a Nashua lady, the sister 
of Col. George Bow^ers, whose old home was the Lovell 
House, so called, at the Harbor, on the site that is now 
occupied by the Shearer company. 

When in Nashua General Bedel came into mv store, 
the old book store, from time to time, and he told me 
much of his experience as a prisoner in the hands of the 
rebels, and of the horrors of his treatment: he told me of 
his visit to President Lincoln as soon as he was ex- 
changed. In the rags with which he was clad he went to 
AXashington and sought an interview with the President. 
It is not knowai that President Lincoln ever refused an 
audience with a L^nion soldier. The major savs he was 
at once admitted to the President's private office, and 
there he told him the story of the horrors that he had 
suffered, and of the thousands of our men wdio then in the 
hands of the enemy were suffering the tortures of svstem- 
atic starvation, and he appealed to President Lincoln to 
do something for their release. The President was much 

5^3 



RI'^MINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

affected, the general said, by the story, although he al- 
ready knew it too well. 

The President said in reply, "What can we do, what 
can we do ?" "I told him," said General Bedel, "ex- 
pressing the depths of the indignation that was within 
me, with all the fierceness that language could express, 
'Retaliate ! Retaliate ! Mr. President !' " 

When Lincoln replied, slowly and solemnly, "Major 
Bedel, because they are barbarians we cannot be heath- 
ens." 

"I could say no more — Lincoln in the greatness of his 
soul could see far beyond my vision." 




3T4 



CHAPTER XXIV. 




-i 



RE-ENLISTED VETERANS ON A FURLOUGH. 

The Young Ladies Soldiers' Aid Society — Copperheadism 

In Nashua. 



HE time was approaching for our departure for 
home, and a happier crowd of boys was never 
known. There was no end to the letters and 
messages from those left behind to friends at 
home. 

At about this time an order had been issued for 
changing the 3rd N. H. Regt. from Infantry to Mounted 
Infantry, and the regiment was ordered to Hilton Head 
where the horses were in waiting, and where the regi- 
ment was to be drilled in the cavalry drill. I had no part 
in this, for the veterans who had re-enlisted sailed for the 
North March 2nd on the steamer Verona, the total from 
the New Hampshire regiments making up something like 
six hundred to eight hundred men, veterans of three years 
of service who had determined to see the war through to 
the end. 

It proved that Governor Gilmore's object in sending 
Colonel Stevens, by permission of the war department, to 
take command of the troops was to hurry them home in 
time to vote at the coming election, which was considered 
to be a most important one. It was a critical period in 
the history of this country. The tide of battle had ebbed 
and flowed, the victory first with one side, and then with 
the other. The Vnion cause at times seemed almost hope- 

315 



Ui:.Ml.\KS("KXCF]S OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

less, and now the tide of l)attle was with the enemy. 
.•M)raliain IJncohi was as^ain to l)e the can(H(hite of the 
Repul)h"can party for President; the Demoeratic party, 
dominated 1)\- tlie Copperheads of the North, was in open 
s\nipath\- with the Sonth and opposing" the prosecution 
of tlie war; the fate of the country seemed trembling in 
tlie balance. The Democratic party in convention at Chi- 
cago liad passed resolutions declaring the war a failure, 
and that it should cease. The great issue now was the 
salvation of the country by the re-election of President 
Lincoln and the prosecution of the war to the end. 

Tuesday, March 8th, was the day of election, not only 
in New Hampshire, l)ut in many other northern states, 
and it was felt that this election would express the senti- 
ment of the North as to the lo}'alty of the people, and was 
of su])reme imi)ortance. 

Hie captain of the steamer N'erona \\as a lo}-al 
man ; he entered into the spirit of the effort to reach New 
^'ork on Monday, the 5th. that the troops might take cars 
to New' Ham])shire to arri\e home in time to vote. Night 
and da}' the smokestack of the steamer was too hot to 
come in contact with, the steam was carried to the high- 
est safetx' point, and as we ]')loughed through the water. 
e\'eryl)od}- was interested in the speed we were making — 
the nmnber of knots pL-v hoiu' — and the re])eated question 
was, "Captain, how man\' more miles to New York?" 

The steamer was carrxing the fishbone in its mouth, 
its tind)ers creaking and groaning. res])on(ling to the tre- 
mendous pressure of its powerful engines. We had a re- 
markably smooth ])assage and all went well. 

Some time in the night of the 5th we entered New 
York harbor and came to anchor. 1 had slept throug"h 
the night and was awakened in the earlv m(~)rning by the 
most delightfid nuisic. I thought, that had ex'cr come to 
my ears. It was the chimes of Trinit\- church. For three 
years I had not heard the sound of church bells, and the 

316 



RE-ENLISTED VETERANS ON A FURLOUGH 

effect of these l)eantifiil tones coming to nie in nu' half 
awakened condition was something difficnlt to descri1)e. 
In my imagination it came to me as music from the cel- 
estial spheres; I was awakened from my ecstacy 1)y the 
tramping of feet overhead, the clanking of chains in the 
weighing anchor and the shouting of orders for the dock- 
ing of the ship. Soon all was bustle and confusion in the 
preparations for disembarking; the vessel finally mo\ed 
from its anchorage to the wharf. After some hours of de- 
la}' in crossing the city, we were at length on board the 
cars for New Hampshire, reaching the state in time for 
all to get to their homes to vote on Tuesday — I said all, 
but not so — I found myself the exception. I was not 
allowed to vote, although I had served my country nearly 
three years, I was not yet in the list of voters. 

Well ! home again in the same old Nashua, at last ; 
and }et, not the same ; I looked out upon the world from 
a new standpoint; although yet a boy in years, I felt that 
I had taken on many years of experience. I found that 
the old home was gone, my people having moved on to 
AN'alnut Street: here I found my father, mother and sister 
to welcome me home; my brother Charles was gone, but 
this did not seem so strange for I had been in frequent 
communication with him during the past nearly two 
years that he had been at the front with the 9th New 
Hampshire; he knew of my coming home and had made 
an application for. and had secured, a leave of absence, 
that we might l)e at home at the same time. This, ho^^•- 
ever, proved a failure. I had started on my return about 
the same time that he left his regiment in the field for 
home and we passed each other on the way. 

The follow^ing morning I started out from mv home, 
walked down A\'alnut to Factory Street, passing the oval ; 
Factory Street, the same old fashioned street with the 
little old buildings on either side, the primitive old build- 
ings that had never changed; the only brick building on 

317 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

the street was the same Httle two-story building- on the 
corner of Washington Street, now known as the Lake- 
man block, and they all now seemed to me to be smaller 
and older than I had known them before I had gone away 
from home. On down to Main Street; the old wooden 
Beasom building on the corner, with its long, old-fash- 
ioned roof sloping to the street — passing the familiar old 
stores to the left, the clothing store of George and Charles 
Moore on the corner, then next the furniture store of 
Fletcher & Brown, the Washburn Boot and Shoe store, 
the Marshall Millinery store, the Ridgway Jewelry store, 
meeting and stopping from time to time to greet old 
friends who all gave me so hearty a welcome home — on 
down the street : — there had been little or no change — here 
was the Goddard Jewelry store, the Wheat Dry Goods 
store, James H. Blake's store, and next was the H. H, 
Eaton Jewelry store ; all the same old wooden buildings 
of different sizes and proportions — plank walks in front, 
with wooden awnings overhead. I think, however, on the 
west side of the street, the exception was a brick building 
known as the Fisher building as it now stands, the dwell- 
ing of Josephus Baldwin was still there, next south of the 
Fisher block, back twenty to thirty feet from the side- 
walk, and in front and in the south corner was the little 
law office of Aaron F. Stevens — on down to the old corner 
bookstore where I had spent many boyhood days ; the 
store still owned by my brother, Capt. C. D. Copp, and 
during his absence was under the management of my 
older brother, the Rev. H. B. Copp, coming to Nashua 
from time to time from his ministerial work. 

The old bookstore was in a wooden building ending 
on Main Street, with its front on A\'ater Street, the owner. 
Iveuben (Joo<lrich. li\'ing in the west end of the same; next 
north, on Main Street, were "ten footers." three in nimi- 
ber. two occupied by Reul)cn Goodrich as a stove and tin- 
ware store, the next a paper hanging store; then next 

318 



RE-EXJLISTED VETERANS ON A FURLOUCxH 

north was the Alerchants' Exchange 1)nikhng', so caUed, 
in which was the tailoring store of William T. Parker; 
this building also, I think, was the same as today; up 
stairs over the tailor store was the Nashua Savings bank, 
Aaron P. Hughes president of the bank; George F. 
Andrews, treasurer. 

When I went away to the war the teller of this bank 
was my friend and chum, Ed. Emerson, son of Col. E. P. 
Emerson, wdio then lived on Park street. We were much 
together as boys and both determined to go to the war ; 
I went first, he following nearly a year later with a com- 
mission as 2d lieutenant in the 6th N. H. regiment. With 
unusual abilities, his success was assured from the start; 
he rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and during the 
occupation of New Orleans by General Butler, he was at 
one time chief commissary of the Department of the Gulf. 
He was one of the ablest young men that ever went from 
Nashua, but unfortunately like many another young 
man, he could not stand prosperity, and died before reach- 
ing his possibilities, at the age of twenty-one. The story 
of his life is a tragedy. 

I continued my walk over the bridge, first passing 
the two story wooden building next north of Greene's 
book-store, in this building was Wetherbee's saloon. 
Next to the bridge was the jewelry store of G. E. Rich- 
ardson. Across the bridge was the same old Railroad 
Square, an amphitheater of inferior buildings and drink- 
ing places and the scene of many disturbances; a few 
exceptions, however; the Baptist church was there as it 
now stands — the Greeley home on the west and this was 
the home of Eben Gay, a West Point graduate, the 
Greeley block facing Main street, now the public librarv 
site, and the same railroad station, also the old church 
on the corner of Orange street, converted into the grain 
store of Solomon Spalding. 



319 



RICMIMSCIOXrES OF THIC WAR OF TllK RFIJELLION 



( )n the soiilli side was the (jiliiian C. ShatUick t^rain 
store. 

Tlie same olil l)uil(lini^"s next south of the bridge on 

the east side that 
were l)uilt before 
m y recollection 
standing the n, 
and are standing 
todia}' — the ])Ost- 
oiflce was in the 
building on the 
corner of Pearson 
Avenue, now the 
W^oodward h a r- 
ness shop; the 
"o 1 d chocolate 
church" next 
south, and under 
the church were 
the stores of Cog- 
gin and Pierce. 
f u r n i t u r e and 
Crocker}", and Nel- 
son Tuttle's cloth- 
insf store — the fa- 

COL. E. M. EMERSON. to •^"^ "- 

mous Nelson Tut- 
tle whose habit was to sit on a dr}' goods box in front of 
his store, wliistling for customers, and sto])|)ing all the 
runaway horses that went through Main street. A 

curious fact concerning this property is that the owner- 
ship is dixided. one party owning from the ground up to 
the height of twelve feet from the level of Main street, 
the other i)arty owning the remainder of the distance into 
the air. Next was tlie wooden building owned bv ()li\er 
Phillips. occui)ied l)y himself as a saloon upon the first 
lloor, a billiard room on the second floor, a belt shop u])on 

1 20 




RE-ENLISTED VETERANS ON A PTIRLOUGH 

the third iioor. This building- and the church were de- 
stroyed by fire about the year 1872. 

The Nutt building had been built during my absence. 
Next south was the little cottage owned and occupied by 
Jacob Hall with his sons, Luke and John — next was the 
residence of Aaron Sawyer, with the little office building 
between that and the City Hall building. Next south of 
the City Hall was a two-story dwelling house, one ten- 
ement being occupied by James H. Blake, and as that 
picture presents itself, also comes the memory of the lit- 
tle boy "Jimmie," with his long curls, standing in the 
front yard of his home. Next w^as the Dr. Colburn 
residence on the corner of Temple street; on 
the south corner w^as the Gay homestead, now standing 
in the rear of the Telegraph block on Temple street. The 
only other changes upon the east side of Main street that 
have been made since those days have been the building 
of the Methodist church, the IMasonic and the Episcopal 
chapel. 

Upon going through the town and returning to the 
old store, it all seemed so strange; everything so familiar, 
yet an unfamiliar atmosphere was in and around every- 
thing, my memory carrying me back over the experience 
of the past three years — was it really my own experience 
or the story of the experience of some one else — it was all 
so dreamy, so like a long wonderful dream, and I was 
awakening to my real self. 

It was something of a revelation to us all upon reach- 
ing home to find the intense feeling of patriotism and in- 
terest expressed in many ways for the welfare of the 
soldiers at the front. Through letters from home w^e had 
heard something of these conditions, but the half was not 
known to us, of the love and devotion of the fathers and 
mothers, the wives and children, to the soldiers in the 
field fighting the battles of our country. A\'e better real- 
ized that the suffering was not all with the soldiers upon 

321 



RKMIXISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THF RFI!FLI.10X 

the 1)attle licld and in the hospital, that day by day the 
intense, anxious interest with which every word of news 
from the front was looked for, the terrible agony of those 
whose loved ones were reported in the columns of the 
newspapers as among the dead or wounded or missing, 
with them there was no cessation of the anxious hours 
and days, and never at rest as to their uncertainty as to 
our fate, while we at the front expecting and meeting 
danger from time to time- — those of us who survived the 
casualities of war — were enjoying many days of camp life. 
Active work was being done among the people of 
Nashua, and especially by the young ladies of the city, in 
systematic work for the relief and comfort of the soldiers 
in the field. "The Young Ladies Soldiers' Aid Society" 
of Nashua had been formed, under the leadership of the 
Misses Thayer, and had frequent meetings at the homes 
of the different members, for the purpose of raising funds 
and providing for the making of articles of clothing and 
sending supplies of various kinds to the boys at the front, 
carrying comfort and cheer to many a soldier. Their 
loyalty and patriotic work was a bright page in the hist- 
ory of Nashua during the war, and their names should 
never be forgotten. Many of them are well known by 
the people of today; some of them are still with us. Some 
have gone from Nashua, while others have passed over 
to the great beyond. 

I give here the names of the members of that organi- 
zation, for I am sure it will be of interest, more particular- 
ly to the older people now and formerly of Nashua. 

Directresses: Miss Lucy F. Thayer, Aliss Jtdia Gil- 
man, Miss Laura M. Bowers, Miss Lucy J. Beard, Miss 
Mary Crombie, Miss Atelia Slader; secretary and treas- 
urer, Mary A. Baldwin. Members: Miss Mary Hunt. 
Miss Mary ]\Ierrill, Miss Sarah Kendall. Miss Harriet 
Crombie, >iliss i\Iary E. Richards. Miss Lucy A. Baldwin, 
Miss Laura M. Bowers, Miss Clara Bowers. Miss Julia 

-222 



RE-ENI.ISTBD VETERANS ON A FURLOUGH 

Tilden, Miss Julia Oilman, Miss Mary A. Baldwin, Miss 
Mary M. Gillis, Miss Lncy F. Thayer, Miss Louisa 
Duncklee, Miss Mudgett, Miss Lucy J. Beard, Miss Eliza 
Foster, Miss Asenath Kendrick, Miss A. Slader, Miss 
Richardson, Miss S. Pearson, Miss Katharine M. Thayer, 
Miss Mary A. Law, Miss Henrietta Prescott, Miss Maria 
Laton, Miss Abba Mitchell, Miss Mary E. Shepherd, Miss 
Myra A. Gay, Miss Anna Wilson, Miss Lucy A. Courser, 
Miss Hannah Crosby, Miss Ann Gray, Miss Mary Le- 
land. Miss Sarah Stone, Miss Mary Fiske, Miss Ambrose, 
Miss Jennie Stiles, Miss Mary F. Taylor, Miss Anna 
Clark, Miss Helen Sawyer, Miss Kate Nutt, Miss Dor- 
chester, Miss Clara Blake, Miss Lizzie Nutt, Miss Harriet 
Richardson, Miss Huntress, Miss Hannah Worcester, 
Miss Josephine Hobson, Miss Martha Warner, Miss Mary 
Crombie. 

The great work of the United States Sanitary com- 
mission was supplemented and supported largely by just 
such organizations throughout the country as the Young 
Ladies Soldiers' Aid Society of Nashua. 

We also found that Nashua had among her citizens 
many men, and some women, too, known and classed as 
"Copperheads," sympathizing with the traitors in arms, 
too cowardly to take the field, but had opened fire from 
the rear,doing all in their power to discourage those who 
were manfully fighting to save our country from de- 
struction. We had heard of them, and hated them with 
intensity; we were now to meet them face to face. Their 
names are a blot upon the pages of history, and are well 
known, but to make their names public today would do 
an injustice to their descendants, who do not deserve 
the reproach that it would bring: they were loud mouthed 
and venomous, rejoicing over the defeats of the Union 
army, glorifying- in the victories of the enemies of our 
country. Hie talk and demonstration of the rebel allies was 
met with indignation and vigorous protest from the loyal 

323 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

people or Nashua ; the k:)yal and stalwart Hiram T. Mor- 
rill, the war mayor of Nashua, was on the alert to guard 
against a possible outbreak and violence from the "Cop- 
perhead" element. Extraordinary precautions were taken 
by him in organizing a home guard, and to have in readi- 
ness arms and ammunition which he had concealed in the 
old City Hall building. It was understood that lOO mus- 
kets and 2000 rounds of ball cartridges were sent to Mayor 
Morrill upon his requisition, and were ready for use. We 
were told of several instances where loyalty asserted it- 
self and defeated the enemy. 

After one of our great battles, and the Union army 
had met with defeat, several Copperheads met on the 
sidewalk in front of what is now Arthur Gay's store, near 
the south end of the bridge ; they were making loud talk 
and hurrahing over the victory of the rebels, attracting 
quite a crowd. Nothing had been said to suppress their 
demonstration, when C. E. Richardson, who kept a jew- 
elry store, a courageous and loyal man, stirred to the 
highest pitch of indignation, seized his revolver, ran across 
the street, and ordered the Copperhead crowd to shut up 
and disperse, or he would shoot. The leader of this Cop- 
perhead demonstration was a well known banker — he re- 
turned to his bank, and his friends departed. 

They told us, too, of a certain church whose mem- 
bership was divided between loyal members and Cop- 
perheads; several of the leaders of the church w^ere vio- 
lent Copperheads, and this feeling became so intense 
that the meetings were finally suspended. On one Sun- 
day the pastor had made a prayer in which God was in- 
voked to help the Union cause and at the close of the 
prayer one of the members arose and said in a loud and 
passionate voice, "I call upon the choir to sing 'Dixie.' " 
The meeting was broken up and soon after the church 
was closed. 



3^4 



RE-ENLISTED VETERANS ON A FURLOUGH 

Crowds of loyal men and boys would organize and 
go to the homes of the most violent of the Copperheads, 
and demand that they throw out an American flag or 
cheer for the Union army and the old flag made its ap- 
pearance every time. 

A large crowd which soon took on the aspect of a 
mob, appeared early one evening at the corner of Main 
and Factory streets, in front of the Gazette ofifice, the 
office being over the drug store upon the corner, and in 
the upper part of the building. The Nashua Gazette was 




BATTLE FLAGS OF 3RD N. H. VOLS. 



one of the most bitter Copperhead sheets in the whole 
North; with surprising boldness the editor of that paper 
followed up, week after week, his tirade of abuse of the 
Union soldiers, belittleing the skill of the Union Generals, 
giving all praise to General Lee and other leaders of the 
rebel army and glorifying in the defeat of the Union 
cause and the success of the Confederate forces; the pa- 

325 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

triotic people of Nashua read these utterances with in- 
tense indignation and impatince, until vengeance broke 
its bounds; a few leaders organized, and with a crowd of 
followers, descended upon the office of that paper. The 
crowd appeared as if it sprang from the ground: hundreds 
soon multiplied into thousands: and the crowd surged 
around the building upon both Main and Factory streets, 
crying out, "Tear down the building!" "Bring out the 
editor and we'll hang him." "Down with the Gazette !" 
"Spill his type into the streets !" — thousands of men and 
boys yelling at the top of their voices, the excitement 
growing in intensity. A rush was made for the entrance 
to the building, with the intent to carry the threats into 
execution, when a window in the second story opened, 
and, not the editor, but Gen. Israel Hunt, the owner of the 
building appeared, and waved his hat to get the attention 
of the crowd, asking to be allowed to speak. The crowd 
listened while he begged them to spare his property, and 
pledged his word that there should be no further cause 
for offense, when the cry arose, "Put out the American 
flag!" "Where's the editor? Alake him put out the flag!" 
This was repeated by hundreds of voices, until after 
a time the editor appeared, put out the Stars and Stripes 
and fastened it to the building. The crowd was appeased, 
and cheer after cheer was given for the Union army and 
the flag, the crowd dispersing. 



326 



CHAPTER XXV. 



The Third New Hampshire Regiment in Virginia. 

MobiHzing of the Army of the James — We Move Against 

Richmond 

v\*^M N April nth, under orders from the war depart- 




ment, all the re-enlisted veterans of the several 
New Hampshire regiments, then on furlough, 
were ordered to rendezvous at Nashua under 
command of Capt. James. F. Randlett, and then to report 
in Washington. The old Franklin Hall, now the Franklin 
Opera House, was the place of rendezvous, and from here 
on the afternoon of April nth, we marched to the Main 
Street station of the Worcester railroad, and took cars for 
New York. 

Arriving in New York City on the morning of April 
1 2th, we marched to City Hall Park and to the soldiers' 
barracks built upon the site of the present Postoffice build- 
ing. Here we were given a substantial breakfast. We 
remained in the city for some hours, during which time 
we were visited by many New Hampshire people, who 
were then residents of New York. I remember but few 
• — among the number were the two Goddard boys, Charles 
and George, both of whom had been quite successful in 
business in New York. It was understood that they con- 
tinued to "make hay while the sun shines" throughout the 
war, and became quite wealthy, and this is a fact lost 
sight of by most people, that while the war furnished 
opportunity for the stay-at-homes to lay the foundation 

327 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF TIIF REBELLION 

for wealth, the soldier boys in fighting- to save their coun- 
try lay the foundation for ill health and ])overty. 

There was no abatement of the enthusiasm of the 
people in every city and town through which we passed — 
there were always crowds at the depots, cheering and 
waving flags as we went through; every window in the 
train of cars was filled with the boys, leaning out return- 
ing the hurrah; ooccasionally stops were made at the 
depots, and always in the crowd were young ladies taking 
part in the demonstration, frequently bringing into the 
train food of all kinds, fruit, coffee, flowers, doing and 
saying everv possible thing to cheer the boys on. 

On the afternoon of the 12th, the battalion was 
reformed and marched through Broadway, down Court- 
land street to the wharf, the crowd cheering, clapping 
hands and waving flags along the whole route, and it was 
the same with every regiment throughout the war, in 
passing to and from the front. Of course a great many 
of these people were more willing to sacrifice their 
own relations, and as Artemas Ward used to say, sacri- 
fice their wives' relation rather than to go to the war 
themselves; \et their enthusiasm and good cheer helped 
on the cause. 

Crossing on the ferry boats to Jersey City, we em- 
barked upon cars for Philadelphia; here again we were re- 
ceived by the people, and given rations at the famous 
"Soldiers' Rest," where so many thousand troops were 
fed throughout the war. Then on to Washington, where 
Col. Randlett reported his arrival and received orders to 
march his command to Arlington Heights. We marched 
through Washington across Long Bridge, and for the first 
time on to the soil of Virginia. Arlington Heights is on 
the banks of the Potomac, overlooking the City of A\'ash- 
ington — here we went into camp, our camp ground not 
far from the Lee mansion. 



328 



THE THIRD NEW HAxMPSHIRE REGIMENT IN VIRGINIA 

A provisional brigade was here formed, and ("olonel 
and Acting Brigadier-General Louis Bell was assigned to 
its command. I was appointed by Colonel Bell, acting as- 
sistant adjutant-general, and much to my surprise; yet I 
had the assurance to accept the position, the duties being 
of the same character as that of an adjutant of a regiment, 
the adjutant being the executive of the colonel com- 
manding, the assistant adjutant-general of a brigade be- 
ing the executive ofificer of the brigade commander. 

Up to this time the war had been fiercely waged, 
great battles had been fought, thousands upon thousands 
of lives had been sacrificed, and yet there had been no 
material advantage upon either side. General after gen- 
eral had been placed at the head of our armies, generals 
of strategic skill and courage, but the enemy too, had at 
the head of its armies generals of strategic skill and cour- 
age. The rank and file of each of the armies was equally 
courageous, fighting with the same desperation, and so 
far with divided honors; each could say that they had a 
"foe worthy of their steel." 

The rebel army had the advantage of being on the 
defensive, and a vast advantage too, had the troops be- 
hind breastworks in meeting the assault of the opposing 
army, and this fact offset all advantages the Union army 
may have had in point of numbers or otherwise. 

General McClellan at the head of the Army of the 
Potomac, had failed to lead the army to victory; General 
Burnside became his successor ; he had made himself con- 
spicuous and had established himself in the confidence of 
the people and of President Lincoln, and now the coun- 
try took on new hope ; yet the tremendous obstacles to be 
overcome in fighting an enemy upon its own ground and 
behind formidable intrenchments proved to be too 
great for General Burnside. His defeat and the fearful 
slaughter at Fredericksburg was fatal to his further lead- 
ership of the Armv of the Potomac. 

3 -'9 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REUEl.LIUN 

General Hooker wlio had won world-wide fame at 
Lookout mountain, in fighting his army to victory in that 
spectacular "Battle above the Clouds," was now appoint- 
ed to succeed Burnside; but he too, while great in the 
leadership of the smaller army, failed in his ability to lead 
the Army of the Potomac. 

Defeat of the Union armies followed defeat, and the 
people of the North were filled with alarm and discour- 
agement, when in the West arose the star of hope, in the 
name of a general who had never met with defeat. The vic- 
tories he had won had attracted the attention of the 
whole country, and to General Grant the country now 
turned. He was summoned to Washington by Presi- 
dent Lincoln in March, 1864, ^'if^l placed in command of 
the armies. 

A comprehensive plan was now formed for a general 
advance of all the armies against the enemy simulta- 
neoush'. l^he army of the Potomac under command of 
(icneral Mead was on the north side of the Rapidan ; their 
camp stretched for man}- miles along its shores. The 
Army of Lee was on the south side of the Rapidan, and 
encircling Richmond, the rebel capitol. The whole coun- 
try back to Richmond was a densely wooded country and 
protected by a series of forts, so that when the rebel 
army was (lri\-en from one line of defense had another 
fortified position to fall back to. This whole country was 
also cut up with numerous streams, deep and difficult to 
cross; the roads were narrow, and after a rain, filled with 
mud and next to impassable. 

On the afternoon of the nth, Colonel Bell, com- 
manding our brigade, received orders to move to Alexan- 
dria, and there embark upon transports waiting at the 
wharf, and in short order we were ready to move, having 
very little camp equipage or personal baggage. 

It was understood that our destination was York- 
town, where troops were being mobilized to form an 

330 



THE THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT IN VIRGINIA 



army of thirty thousand men to be known as the Army 
of the James, and to be commanded by General Benjamin 
F. Butler. The Army of the James was to take part in 
the general movement of the armies, and to co-operate 
with the Army of the Potomac in the advance upon 
Richmond. It was a march of about six miles from Ar- 
lington Heights to Alexandria; we reached there early 
in the day, and were soon on board the steamer. 

While at Arlington Heights and upon one of my 
trips to Washington, I learned that the 9th Army Corps 

under command of 
General Burnside 
had arrived from 
the West where 
they had been oper- 
ating in the west- 
ern army, and were 
in camp at Annap- 
olis. The 9th New 
Hampshire Regi- 
ment was in the 2d 
Brigade and 2d Di- 
vision of the 9th 
Army Corps. I 

went one day to 
Annapolis expect- 
ing to find my 
brother, Captain C. 
D. Copp, not then 
knowing of his vis- 
it to New Hampshire upon leave of absence, and there 
for the first time I learned that he had gone home expect- 
ing to meet me there. Upon our arrival at Alexandria 
I was told that the 9th Army Corps was on the road from 
Washington to Alexandria; here, I thought was an op- 
portunity to meet my brother. Our conunand was nn 

331 




GEN. AMBROSE E. BURNSIDE. 



REMIXISCKXCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

board the vessel, and it was unknown at what hour we 
should sail. I told Colonel Bell of the efforts of my 
brother and myself to meet in New Hampshire and of 
my failure to find him at Annapolis, and not having seen 
each other for three years, I would like to take the 
chance of going up the turnpike towards Wash- 
ington to meet the 9th Corps, and as a matter of 
fact the head of the column was already in sight. Col. 
Bell said, "A\'e are liable to sail at any moment, but you 
may take the chances if you wish to do so." I told him 
that I would, and that I would report to him in some 
way on or before his reaching Yorktown. 

I thought it was unadvisable to take a horse, not 
expecting that it would be a long tramp before finding 
the 2nd Division and the 2nd Brigade, and the Qtli 
N. H. Regiment. 

The Pioneer Corps of the army was already enter- 
ing the streets of the town. The Pioneer Corps is made 
up of, and is, practically, the Engineer Corps, frecpiently 
sup])lemented by details of other men from the ranks of 
the army. Upon the march, the Pioneer Corps is always 
in the advance, carrying with them axes, picks, shovels and 
other tools for the repairs of the roads and bridges to 
make possible the movements of the army along the 
roads. In this connection I do not know that I need to 
sa}', for I have already explained that upon a march in 
the enem\-'s country the army is preceeded by an ad- 
Aance guard of cavalry, couriers and skirmishers. 

The road between Alexandria and the long bridge 
at AA'ashington is largely an open country, and I could 
see for miles along the route of the march of the 9th 
Corps, clouds of dust, which always marked the mu\e- 
ments of army corps in dry weather. Following the 
Pioneer Corps was the escort of cavalry to the Com- 
mander, General Burnside. A\'ith him was his staff 
mounted upon horses of various colors and conditions, 

332 



THE THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMUjNT IN VIRGINIA 

some of a magnificent type, others ordinary, the condi- 
tion and physical appearance of the horses always vary- 
ing according to circumstances. 

General Burnside's Corps had just returned from 
the West, and from extraordinary marches of hundreds 
and hundreds of miles, and naturally the horses of the 
cavalry and of the staff, as well as those of the artillery, 
looked thin and jaded, and this notwithstanding the best 
of care that conditions made possible. 

I had passed the General and his staff, moving on in 
the opposite direction, looking and making inquiry all 
along for the 2nd Division and the 2nd Brigade and the 
9th N. H. Regiment. The day was hot, the sun fiercly 
beating down and the high clouds of dust raised by the 
tramping of the feet of the men and the horses, settled 
upon officers, men and horses alike. 

I made inquiries of the first officer that I met of the 
9th Corps for the position in column of the 2nd Division; 
he told me it was further back, and I moved on, the 
troops passing me all the while, I had little conception at 
that time of the movement of troops in large bodies and 
the number of miles of road that one Army Corps would 
cover. I kept on in the direction of Washington, occa- 
sionally inquiring for the 2nd Division, and every time 
was told that it was "further back." It was not until I 
had reached within a mile of Long Bridge, some six or 
seven miles from Alexandria, that I found the 9th N. H. 
Regiment, and upon asking for my brother. Captain 
Copp, I was told that he had not yet returned from his 
leave of absence. 

Tired and disappointed, I found my way back to 
Alexandria after this long and tedious tramp of about 
twelve miles through the clouds of dust, but fortunately 
arrived back before the sailing of our boat. 

Sailing down Chesapeake Bay, we arrived at Fort- 
ress Munroe early on the following morning; here the 

333 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

fleet anchored until the following day. In company with 
several other officers I went on shore to inspect the Fort, 
this being our first visit. One thing I saw which left the 
strongest impression was the monster gun outside of the 
Fort that had not yet been moved into position; the gun 
was a marvel in those days, of immense length and pro- 
portions. 

On the morning of the 27th, we sailed up York 
River to Gloucester Point, on the opposite side of the 
river from Yorktown. Other troops had already arrived 
and were in camp on both sides of the river. The next 
day after our arrival at Gloucester, 10,000 troops under 
the command of General O. A. Gilmore, arrived from 
Port Royal, S. C. In this command was our Regiment, 
which had had quite an experience in Florida during our 
absence on furlough. 

The reunion of our Regiment at Gloucester Point, 
the boys who had returned from their furlough, and those 
from the south, was quite a jollification. The friend- 
ships formed by soldiers sharing dangers in common and 
in the companionship of camp life, was something out of 
the ordinary in human lives, and proved to be life long. 
We were again together to meet unknown dangers, but 
all with the same determination to do each his part in 
the defense of the Union cause, the significance of it all 
to each one of us having broadened and deepened with 
our experience of three years in the fight against the 
rebel hosts who would destroy our government 

There had been many changes by death, resignation 
and discharge among the officers and men of the Regi- 
ment, especially among the officers; the young men and 
boys who had distinguished themselves by their ability 
and good conduct as soldiers had been promoted to fill 
the places of those discharged, and others who had been 
])r()moted to higher rank. 

L^pon going North from South Carolina on lea\e of 
absence, I had left my horse "Don" in the care of Ouar- 

334 



THE THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT IN VIRGINIA 



terniaster Hynes, and upon the landing of General Gil- 
more's troops, after first greeting old friends, my first 
concern and inqniry was for Don. I fonnd him in good 
condition, and the horse apparently was as glad to see 
me as I was to see him. 

Itxtensive preparations were pnshed forward for the 
campaign hefore us; reorganization of the entire com- 
mand into Army 
Corps, divisions and 
brigades was rapid- 
ly made: the loth 
Corps under com- 
mand of General Q. 
A. Gilmore, the 
I 8th Corps under 
command of Gener- 
al William A. Smith. 
The 3rd N. H. was 
in the 2nd Brigade, 
commanded by Gen- 
eral Joseph R. Haw- 
1 e y, 1st division 
commanded by Gen- 
eral Alfred H. Ter- 
ry, and loth Army 
Corps. In our bri- 
gade was also the 
/th N. H., 6th and 
7th Conn. Regiments. Baggage of officers and men was 
reduced to the minimum, the surplus baggage being sent 
to Norfolk for storage, including my office equipment and 
records, carrying in small compass only a few necessary 
blanks for morning reports, and a small quantity of per- 
sonal baggage. Shelter tents were now issued, and for 
the first time to be used by our Regiment. The shelter 
tent is what its name plainly indicates, being some four to 

335 




GEN. JOSEPH R. HAWLEY. 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

five feet in height only; two men pulling their tents to- 
gether using crochet sticks for support, sometimes their 
rifles. This served the purpose of protection from storms, 
and in active campaigning was the only practicable tent 
that could be used. 

In all our service in the department of the South, we 
had been able to maintain comparatively comfortable 
quarters, having A tents for the men, and wall tents for 
officers, the A tent accommodating from four to five 
men. 

It was now evident that we were to see service un- 
like that of anything we had yet experienced; daily drills, 
inspections and reviews was the order every day; little 
was known among the troops generally as to the plans 
for the coming campaign; it was known that we were to 
make a movement against Richmond. 

The armies were now ready to move; General But- 
ler's instructions from General Grant, for the purpose of 
misleading General Lee, was to move the Army of the 
James first up York River, with the apparent object of 
making an attack upon Richmond upon that line of op- 
erations ; accordingly on the afternoon of the 4th of May, 
General Butler's command w^as embarked on transports, 
one hundred vessels or more, and moved up York River 
in the direction of Richmond. This movement of course 
was immediately known to the enemy, General Lee set- 
ting his army in motion or so much of it as was necessary 
to meet our advance. After dark, according to the in- 
structions to General Butler, the vessels were turned 
about, moved back down the river, into Chesapeake Bay, 
down to Fortress Munroe, and up the James River, ar- 
riving early in the morning of the 5th at City Point and 
Bermuda Hundred, where the whole army made a land- 
ing with very little opposition, the movement being a 
complete success and surprise to the enemy. 

336 



THE THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT IN VIRGINIA 

Our baggage train was sent up overland by road on 
the south side of the James River, and also a portion of 
the artiller3^ In the movements of armies in the field, 
the supplying of the army with rations and ammunition 
is an undertaking little comprehended by most people; 
one Army Corps of thirty thousand men require the use 
of seven hundred wagons drawn by forty-two hundred 
horses or mules ; and mules were almost exclusively 
used; this wagon train covers ten miles of road; the am- 
1)ulances of the Corps, another mile; the batteries, three 
miles; and cattle which are driven along in the move- 
ments of the army, at times when the cattle are to be 
had, covering several miles; then multiply this by five, 
the number of Corps in the Army of the Potomac and this 
train under the protection of troops in a hostile country, 
and one can get a conception of the difificulty of moving 
such immense trains, and frequently over roads that are 
almost impassable with mud. It is something that calls 
for the highest executive ability. In the general move- 
ments of armies in operating against the enemy the sup- 
ply train must move by different roads from that of the 
troops. The quartermaster must have not only knowl- 
edge of the road, but also must have information as to 
the movements of the army — while it is the duty of the 
conmianding general to instruct the chief quartermaster 
as to his movements — the quartermaster himself must be 
on the alert and is held responsible for the safety of his 
trains. He has with him engineer officers, and squads of 
cavalry continually gathering information as to the coun- 
try, its roads and by-roads, rivers and streams. The 
chief quartermaster has the assistance of able men for 
his brigade and regimental quartermasters ; generally 
they were men of executive ability and of courage; they 
were frequently under the fire of the enemy in delivering 
ammunition upon the firing line. The 40 to 60 rounds 
of cartridges the boys would take into the fight would, 

339 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

in a hot battle, soon he gone; then tliere must be brought 
up a new supply; this was brought in the ammunition 
wagon as near to the line of battle as conditions would 
allow, and frequently into the very face of the firing of 
musketry and artillery, the nigger drivers sometimes be- 
ing forced at the point of gun to move his mules forward. 
Here the boxes would be carried by men detailed for the 
purpose to the boys in line. 

Army discipline and system were most rigidly en- 
forced in the quartermaster's department. It was only 
by the most systematic rules and orders rigidly enforced 
that it was possible to move army trains in active opera- 
tions in the field. On each wagon was the Corps badge, 
with the division color and number of the brigade, so at 
a glance it could be seen whether or not the wagon was 
in its place; the contents also of each wagon was plainly 
marked, whether of ammunition for artillery or for in- 
fantry; if for rations, it was so marked, and just what the 
wagon contained — bread, pork, beans, coffee, sugar, etc. As 
soon as a wagon was emptied it was immediately sent to 
the rear to the base of supplies to take on another load. 
To avoid transportation, the thousands of horses that 
made up the baggage train were fed at the base of sup- 
plies or at points within easy reach. The movements ol 
the baggage trains were in the night so far as possible. 

I was acquainted with quite a number of quarter- 
masters. Our own regimental quartermaster, John R. 
Hynes, was a very ef^cient, painstaking and obligmg 
quartermaster; he had many friends, always ready to do 
a favor, if possible. I am indebted to him personally for 
many kindly acts; Quartermaster Hynes was a Man- 
chester boy; he was a reporter upon the Manchester 
Mirror at the outbreak of the war, and went to the front 
as 2nd lieutenant in Company A. At the close of the war 
he was commissioned as quartermaster in the regular 



340 



THE THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT IN VIRGINIA 



army; he was also breveted lieutenant-colonel of volun- 
teers; he returned to Manchester and died in 1870. 

Quartermaster Pitt Moses of the 9th N. H. Regiment, 
was one of the best quartermasters in the service. He 
never failed to reach the boys with supplies: he had an 
indomitable will, never a road that his teams could not be 
made to go over; where others failed, he pushed through; 
on one or more occasions where there was no known 
road, he took his teams up the bed of a brook to reach the 
front, and withal he was a most popular and genial 
gentleman. I have had the pleasure of meeting him many 
times since the war — frequently at the meetings of the 

Loyal Legion in Bos- 
ton, until his death 
some two years ago. 

Another quarter- 
master of nerve and 
ability — and it took 
nerve and ability to fill 
the position — was 
Quartermaster Mor- 
tier L. Morrison of the 
13th N, H., who prov- 
ed equal to all emer- 
gencies in the hand- 
ling of his train of 
army wagons. Quar- 
termaster Morrison 
served through the 
war with honor. He 
has for the last many years been a resident of Peter- 
borough, N. H., the treasurer of the Peterborough Sav- 
ings Bank, and to his great credit he carried this bank 
by good management through the panic which wrecked 
so many other savings banks. 




LIEUT-COL. W. H. D. COCHRANE. 
QUARTERMASTER. 



343 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

Col. W. H. D. Cochrane was division quartermaster 
in the Army of the Potomac. That he won distinction 
by distinguished services is attested by the recognition 
given him by promotion to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. 
Colonel Cochrane first went to the war as private in the 
1st N. H. v., later as ist lieutenant in the loth N. H. 
Regiment, from Manchester. At the close of the war he 
came to Nashua where he made his home up to the time 
of his death in 1905. He was an active influential citizen 
through all the years of his life here with us, at one time 
superintendent of the N. A. & B. R. R., and was for many 
years agent of the Old Colony Railroad. Colonel Coch- 
rane was a man of unusual abilities, but like many other 
men of promise and ability, adverse conditions put a bar 
upon his possibilities. 

The successful landing and seizure of City Point and 
Bermuda Hundred was of the greatest importance to the 
future movements, not only of the Arni}^ of the James, 
but also of the Armv of the Potomac. 




344 




BAGGAGE TRAIN MOVING UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 




THE ARMY OF THE JAMES. 
Campaigning In Front of Richmond and Petersburg. 

HE strategy of General Grant in sending the 
Army of the James up the York river to make a 
^•i^^ feint upon General Lee's army in its primary 
movement was a success, completely fooling 
General Lee as to the real destination of General Butler's 
army, and the only troops to oppose our landing at City 
Point and Bermuda Hundred v^ere a few^ outposts. 

The fleet of lOO or more transports arriving one after 
another upon the morning of the 5th, and anchoring, filled 
the James River from bank to bank for many hundred 
yards up and down the river; our gunboats in advance 
and following up the rear, had no occasion to use their 
guns until the early morning of our arrival, when one of 
the advance gunboats discovered on the shore of the river 
a rebel lookout or signal station, and opening with one of 
its guns, soon made kindling wood of the structure. These 
signal towers were used in the movements of both armies, 
erected upon the highest and most available points, over- 
looking the country, from the tops of which the observa- 
tion of the men of the signal corps was sent by signals 
from station to station to reach the general commanding. 
The Signal Corps was an important arm of the service ; 
the method of signalling was the waving of flags, the mo- 
tions representing letters and words under a secret code. 
The famous signal of General Corse to General Sher- 
man will be remembered; in October 1864, in the struggle 

347 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



for Atlanta, General Corse was holding Altoona, with a 
small command of less than 2,000 men : he was surround- 

ed by a division 

.■■.m-^:S'W'^'ir'^mm^''m m9P » v ' wm i! m mmmmmam ^ / , , ^ 

of the rebel Gen- 
eral Bragg's ar- 
my, which made 
a fierce attack; 
General Corse, 
was well i n- 
trenched upon 
the heights, and 
repulsed the en- 
e m y. General 
Sherman, who 
had become con- 
cerned as to the 
safety of Corse, 
signalled an in- 
(juiry from Keni- 
s a w Mountain 
over the heads of 
the enemy. Gen- 
eral Corse's reply 
was : "I am short 
a cheek bone and an ear, but 1 can whip all Hell yet." 
The song "Hold the Fort" is based upon this incident. 

The disembarking of the troops and the landing ot 
supplies commenced early in the day of the 5th. In the 
absence of sufficient wharves, it was necessary to use 
small boats in the landing, and the disembarking contin- 
ued through the night of the 5th, and it was early morn- 
ing before our regiment was on shore. All this was done 
in a most systematic, military way ; in the landing of our 
regiment it was my duty to instruct company commanders 
as to the order in which they should disembark, and this 
must be done in the order of companies from right to left 

348 




GEN. JOHN M. CORSE. 



THE ARMY OF THE JAMES 

of the line successively. As the troops were landed, their 
positions were assigned by the aides of the generals com- 
manding, for the formation of the several divisions, brig- 
ades and regiments. 

We were in the woods; having formed the regiment- 
al line and stacked arms, the men unslung knapsacks and 
were waiting orders; in the movements of other troops, 
in finding their several locations, the 2nd N. H. Regiment 
marched past our regiment, with its very youthful com- 
mander. Colonel Bailey, at its head, the first and only 
time the regiments met during the service. Colonel 
Bailey at that time was twenty-one years of age. I re- 
member this incident from the impression that came to 
me at that time on seeing Colonel Bailey, who looked 
scarcely older than myself. My ambition was stirred into 
a conviction that if the war lasted long enough, I, too, 
would reach a higher command. 

The instructions of General Grant to General Butler 
were to move upon Richmond from the south, along the 
south side of the James River, gaining a foothold as far 
north as was possible, and in the event of the failure of 
the Army of the Potomac to capture Richmond, the two 
armies were to unite, making a junction upon the James 
River. 

Bermuda Hundred, so called, is a peninsula formed 
by the James and Appomatox Rivers. Some six or seven 
miles from City Point the two rivers bend in such a way 
that a comparitively short line, from river to river, gives 
a large territory within which, under General Butler's 
plan, became the base of operations, not only for the 
Army of the James, but later of the Army of the Poto- 
mac. 

General Benjamin F. Butler, although not educated 
at West Point was in natural ability, one of the greatest 
generals of our war; that he did not meet with greater 
success in the operations of the campaign of 1864, ^ think 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

a critical study of history of the movements of the Army 
of the James will show that it was due chiefly to the jeal- 
ousy, not to say insubordination, of his subordinate com- 
manders, who were regular army officers. 

All through our operations against Petersburg ana 
Richmond, from May to September, there was a feeling 
of distrust throughout the army, which in the light of 




CITY POINT. 

events. I believe to have been caused by the attitude of 
his corps commanders. It is true that the war demon- 
strated that the successful leaders of our armies were the 
educated soldier; almost without exception, the generals 
who distinguished themselves as leaders were West Point 
graduates. 

On the 6th, after leaxing the small force at City 
Point, the army moved up the peninsula to the point 
designated, with a skirmish line in advance — the advance 

352 



• :h\^^ 




'if,m~^WP' 



THE ARMY OF THE JAMES 

was practically without opposition, a small force of cav- 
alry easily forcing back the rebel outposts. The roads 
were narrow and bad; after getting started, the order to 
each command is to "route step," when the men are re- 
quired no longer to keep their place in the line, and are 
free to talk, carrying their arms in any manner that suits 
themselves, the bayonet on the route step always in the 
scabbard. It was a common thing for the men to com- 
mence relieving themselves of surplus baggage after 




MONITOR ON JAMES RIVER. 



marching a few miles; if the day was excessively hot — 
my recollection is that it was so on that day — after a time 
many knapsacks were thrown away, the men rolling up 
their few belongings in their blanket, tying the ends to- 
gether, and carrying it across the shoulder; this was a 
general practice of old campaigners on the march. 

355 



1{KMIX1S*,'KNV'KS OF THH WAK OK TWK KKHKLLIOX 

One of the worst of our hardships upon the march 
was in gettiuii' good drinkinj^- water; the canteens wonld 
be tilled upon the start — we were hicky if we could 
get good water at any time; after an hour or two of the 
heat of the sun, the water was anything but palatable. 
"W ater. water," was the cry of men who had become ex- 
hausted, it was the cry of wounded men always. There 
was more sutTering from the want of water than from 
want of food. \\ hile the men were allowed to march out 
of their places in line, straggling was never allowed, every 
man must keep within easy distance of his place. This 
was at times done with great dit^iculty after a long march. 
the men who were not of the strongest would fall out, and 
in spite of every etTort would sometimes be obliged to be 
left behind. It was the duty of the lieutenants and the 
non-commissioned otficers, sergeants and corporals, to 
keep the men up in their proper places, and in this duty 
they were held responsible by the company commanders. 

The colonel, on his horse, upon the march was at 
the head of the column, the adjutant usually along with 
the colonel; the lieutenant-colonel, whose place was near 
the right of the line, would frequently be at the head of 
the column with the colonel; the major of the regiment, 
whose place was on the left of the line, as a rule was in 
the rear of the regiment. The colonel would sometimes 
say, "Adjutant, take a look down the line, and report to 
me if the men are keeping closed up." I would move out 
to the side of the road and as the several companies passed 
along, if the men were not keeping well up, I would say, 
"Captain, the colonel's orders are to keep the men well 
closed up." And so on until the regiment had passed, 
then I must rejoin the colonel, and to get along the road 
past the men would be somewhat difficult, and frequently 
I would go into the field or woods and reach the head of 
the column in that way. and here my horse Don showed 
his superiority, for with little apparent etTort. over the 

35^^ 










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THE ARMY OP THE JAMES 

fence he would go like a trained hunter, and over ditches, 
too, that were not so very wide, saving me many a detour 
to reach my objective point. On this occasion, jump- 
ing one of the Virginia rail fences, I lost my sword out of 
the scabbard. I had given it up, when fortunately it was 
brought back to me. 

In the 9th New Hampshire regiment one of our 
Nashua boys, who then was First Lieutenant in command 
of his company, one day gave the men of his company a 
surprise. It was in one of the earlier campaigns, the 
lieutenant was but recently commissioned, and was upon 
the first march that the regiment had taken, when he was 
in command of his company. He was a Sunday School 
boy at home, and had carried into the Army his 
Bible, his principles, and his religion. The boys didn't 
know him very well : they thought he was a goody-goody 
kind of a boy. The troops were upon a forced march 
which had been long and very tedious, and the men had 
begun to straggle along beside the road. The orders 
were to keep the men well in hand, and not to straggle. 
The men, with two or three exceptions, had obeyed the 
commands of the lieutenant very well. There was one, 
we will call him Jim Smith, for I do not remember his 
name, persisted in keeping along up on the embankment^ 
although he had been previously ordered into line. At 
length the lieutenant turned to him and told him it was 
the last time that he should give him the order to get in- 
to line. "Now," he says, drawing his revolver and point- 
ing it at him, "you get, and do it mighty quick," at the 
same time bringing his revolver to an aim. Smith contin- 
ued along the bank, making an impertinent reply, when, 
bang, went the lieutenant's revolver, the bullet zipping by 
Jim Smith's head. In less time than it takes to tell it, Jim 
Smith was in the ranks with the other men. The whole 
company had learned what material this Sunday School 
boy was made of, and ever after that, no officer in the 

359 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

regiment had better discipline, nor was there a man in 
the regiment more popular than the Sunday School boy 
from Nashua. 

The night of the 6th of May the line stretched from 
the James River to the Appomatox, the loth Corps upon 
the right of the line, and our regiment on the extreme 
right, next to the James River. The first work was dig- 
ging the intrenchments that had been lined out by the 
engineers; men worked in reliefs through the night, and 
before morning a temporary line of defense had been 
erected. 

The brigade and regimental quartermasters soon 
had the ground staked out for the location of the several 
regiments and companies. 

We had scarcely halted the night before, when a 
mounted orderly drove up to where Colonel Plimpton 
and myself were standing, dismounted, saluted and 
handed me a folded paper. I opened it and read: 
Headquarters ist Brigade, 2nd Division. loth Army 

Corps. 

Bermuda Hundred. \ a, May 6. 1864. 
Special Orders No. 2. 

The following detail will repc^rt at cmce 'd^ these 
headquarters for picket dut} 

T^ 'i' 'T' 'r 'T* •T' 'T' 't' '{^ 'i' -;* *(* 

3rd N. H. Regt. First Lieutenant and forty men. 

By order of Joseh R. Hawley. Brig.-General Comdg. 
Brigade. 

K. Lewis ]\Ioore, 1st Lieut. A. A. A. G. 

The same order was sent to each regiment in the 
brigade. I immediately called the sergeant-major, and 
sent him along the line, giving the order for the detail 
from each company in proportion to its strength. Lieu- 
tenant Daniel l^ldredge of Co. K, sa\s he was on detail 
that first night, therefore it must ha\e been Lieutenant 
Eldredge who was ordered u])on tliis detail. X(^twith- 

360 



THE ARMY OF THE JAMES 

standing the men were tired, very tired, after the long 
and hot march, and hungry too, the cooks not having as 
yet prepared anything, the men must respond to the or- 
der, and without words or delay; the whole front of the 
army must be covered with a line of picket posts, and at 
once, the orderly sergeant of each company must see that 
the men detailed from his company are properly equipped 
and with one day's rations; the detail then sent, conduc- 
ted by a non-commissioned officer, to report to me at my 
quarters. I then make sure that all have reported, when 
the senior officer takes command of the guard, and 
marches it to brigade headquarters, where a similar de- 
tail from each of the other regiments also reports. The 
officer who had been detailed to command the picket line 
then consolidates the guard from several regiments, and 
under the direction of a staff officer established the picket 
line at a distance in front of the army depending some- 
what upon the location of the enemy. 

The distance from Richmond to Petersburg is about 
twenty-two miles; our position at Bermuda Hundred 
was about equal distance between these two points. The 
turnpike between these two cities was some two or three 
miles in our front, and the Richmond and Petersburg- 
railroad was not far distant from the turnpike. 

Immediately after taking possesion of Bermuda 
Hundred General Butler sent General Kautz with his 
cavalry upon a reconnoissance to Petersburg, upon the 
south side of the Appomatox. On the afternoon of the 
7th, General Smith with a detachment of the i8th Army 
Corps was ordered out to destroy the Richmond and 
Petersburg railroad, and make a demonstration upon 
Petersburg. 

General Smith met with considerable opposition, 
and had quite sharp fighting before accomplishing his 
purpose; he succeeded in destroying several miles of the 
railroad and burning the depot at AValthall Junction. 

361 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

General Kautz also destroyed several miles of the Weldon 
railroad south of Petersburg and captured a hundred or 
more prisoners. 

Upon the morning of the 9th, leaving a large force 
at work upon the intrenchments, the remainder of the 
army moved out in the direction of Richmond and Peters- 
burg, moving to the right and left, striking the turnpike. 
General Gilmore with the loth corps, moved in the direc- 
tion of Petersburg, while the i8th corps moved in the 
opposite direction toward Richmond. Small detach- 
ments only of the enemy were met, and driven back as 
we advanced. 

Arriving at Walthall Junction, we now had the sat- 
isfaction of continuing the work of the destruction of the 
railroad. Thousands of men were stretched along the 
line of the track, and by sheer muscular force, lifted one 
side of the track, turning it completely over and down 
the embankment. The sleepers were then piled up, the 
rails laid across the top, and the pile set afire, the heat 
bending the rails. 

It was now past noon, and the boys tired and hungry, 
were allowed to eat their rations, stacking arms, break- 
ing ranks and finding convenient and shady places for 
rest. It was here, sitting upon my horse, with other 
mounted ofificers of the regiment, under the shade of an 
tak tree eating our rations, that we saw the liveliest kind 
of a pig race. 

We were near farm buildings when a small pig 
made its appearance, that weighed perhaps from fifteen 
to twenty pounds, running for dear life, with two hun- 
dred or three hundred men after him. I need not say 
that he was captured, divided up, and over the fire, in 
about the same time it takes to tell the story. 

Upon such movements, the rations for the field and 
staff officers were usually carried along by the cooks and 
servants of our mess, but T made it a practice, and my 

362 




MAP OF THE DEFENCES OF RICHMOND AND PETERSBURG. 



THE ARMY OF THE JAMES 

recollection is that the other officers did the same also, 
to carry along my own haversack with a small quantity 
of rations for emergencies, also a canteen of water. 

We were now about four miles from Petersburg, 
with woods intervening, and had been waiting orders 
with stacked arms for two or three hours. More or- less 
firing was going on in the distance when an aide came 
riding up to Colonel Plimpton, halted, and with a salute, 
delivered an order from General Hawley, prefacing his 
words in terms used in the technical form required: 
"General Hawley's compliments!" (Following with the 
order). "You will report with your regiment to General 
Terry; he is down this road to the right, a half a mile or 
more, where he has established his headquarters." 

The Colonel immediately gave the order, and march- 
ing to the point designated, found General Terry, to 
whom the Colonel reported. 

General Terry's instructions to Colonel Plimpton 
were to move his command to Brandon Bridge on Swift 
Creek, about two and a half miles from Petersburg. 
We moved as directed down through what appeared to 
be a wood road; we had advanced perhaps a mile to a 
mile and a half, when an occasional shot was heard from 
our skirmishers. We moved on until we were within 
about seven hundred yards of the bridge , when a line of 
battle was formed. We then advanced until within about 
one hundred and fifty yards of the bridge, where we met 
the enemy advancing in small force. The enemy opened 
fire which we returned all along the line. The enemy's 
line broke, and they fied and disappeared in the woods. 
We could indistinctly see through the dusk that was com- 
ing on, upon an elevation across the creek, \vhat appeared 
to be a rebel battery; the question was settled very quick- 
ly by a discharge of grape and cannister from their 
guns, but their aim was wild, nearly all the shots passing 

365 



RKMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

over our heads. Several of our men were wounded, 
none killed; the firing was not continued. 

It now being quite dark, and Colonel Plimpton hav- 
ing no orders to make an attack, posted pickets and here 
we waited along the lines of a Virginia rail fence, through 
the night, the Colonel reporting the situation in dis- 
patches by courier to General Terry. 

In every movement of this kind, when a detachment 
is sent away from the main body of the army, couriers — 
cavalry men — are sent with the detachments to carry dis- 
patches, if necessary, from the commanding officer. We 
waited through the night without anything happening, ex- 
cept that we could hear the whistle of locomotives and the 
rumbling of cars in the direction of Petersburg. We 
guessed it to be General Beauregard bringing reinforce- 
ments from the south and events proved our guess to be 
correct. I was standing near my horse with my arm 
through the driving rein, and the Colonel was not far from 
me Avith his horse; the cavalry men, some three or four, 
were also near by, when out from the darkness across the 
creek came a volley of shot from a line of rebel infantry. 
A stampede of horses immediately followed, very few 
being hit by the volley, but it came so suddenly it brought 
confusion. As my horse jumped, I grabbed the rein, but 
was thrown to the ground, and was obliged to let go, 
the horse disappearing in the darkness. I followed a short 
distance, but saw the uselessness of doing this, arid re- 
turned to the regiment. This was entirely unlike Don, 
who had always proved so courageous and cool under 
fire, but he was gone and I feared that I had lost him. I 
sent a cavalry man to find the horse, and to my surprise 
he returned with him in a few minutes. He said he found 
him up the road where he had stopped, facing in our di- 
rection, apparently contemplating a voluntary return. 

The firing from the enemy was not continued: this 
single volley seems tohave satisfied llicm for the time, and 

366 








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ARMY CORPS BADGES. 



THE ARMY OF THE JAMES 

there was no disposition on our part to bring on an en- 
gagement. Everything remained quiet until daylight. 
Several rounds from the battery on the hill were fired, but 
the elevation of their guns carried the shot over our 
lieads. This position was held until nearly noon, when an 
order was received from General Gilmore to withdraw and 
report with the regiment to him on the turnpike. He 
added to his dispatch that he had received information 
that General Longstreet's whole army corps was coming 
in upon our rear, and to move rapidly or we would be cut 




HEADQUARTERS OF GEN. BUTLER AT BERMUDA HUNDRED. 

off. The picket line was immediately withdrawn, and the 
regiment started to the rear on double quick time. 

We had been preparing for dinner when the order 
came to withdraw. Our cooks of the officers' mess had 
raided a nearby plantation, and as the result had a large 
iron pot full of chicken boiling over a fire in a negro cabin 
near by. When the order was received, the cooks were 
equal to the occasion; seizing a fence rail they took the 
kettle from the fire and started with it upon their should- 
ers, the chickens still boiling, and when we had arrived 
back to the point designated, the cooks built a fire and 
finished cooking our dinner. 

Fighting had been going on more or less all along the 
whole line, but with no decisive results, the enemy had 

369 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

moved out from their works in front of Riclimond and 
attacked the advance of the i8th corps. General Gilmore 
had received orders to move to the support of this part of 
the Hue. and, making a rapid march up the turnpike in the 
direction of Richmond, some five or six miles to a point 
near the half way house, we found that the second division 
of the 1 8th army corps, commanded by General Harkness, 
had repulsed the enemy with quite a heavy loss. The road 
was full of moving troops, artillery and men of the 
Hospital corps bringing the wounded from the field up- 
on our left. Farther to the front the woods were on fire, 
and many of the wounded were burned before they could 
be rescued. At the time of our arrival it was found that 
there was a truce in force for the purpose of rescuing the 
wounded from the burning battlefield. AMiile waiting here 
along the roadside, an officer in gray came riding down 
the line, coolly looking over our troops, saying not a word 
to anyone, no one saying anything to him. On his collar 
were one or more stars, indicating that he was a general 
of the rebel forces. I did not know at the time the reason of 
this, of the permitting of a general officer from the enem\' 
to ride along our lines in this way on a tour of inspection, 
and I never knew why he was not taken a prisoner 
for violating the rules of a truce. It was an audacious act 
for any one to do. He returned as coolly as he came. At 
night the entire force was within the entrenchments at 
Hermuda Hundred. 



370 



CHAPTER XXVIl. 




BATTLE OF DRURYS-BLUFF. 

We Capture the Outer Defences of Richmond, 
My First Wound. 

HE defences of Bermuda Hundred had now been 

made practically impregnable, the line of in- 

trenchments extending from the James River to 

the Appomatox, something like three miles; 

along the whole front was a stockade of pointed timbers 

from five to six feet in height and a series of redoubts in 

which our guns were mounted. 

The Army of the James was now prepared to take the 
offensive. A movement against Richmond was planned 
by General Butler, and on the early morning of May 12th 
we moved out from our works, the i8th corps under Gen- 
eral Smith, upon the right, and the loth corps under 
General Gilmore upon the left. \Ye now had General 
Beauregard in Petersburg with reinforcements from the 
south, to take into account in this movement. 

The Richmond and Petersburg turnpike and the rail- 
road had some days before been our fighting 
ground, and again we moved upon the turnpike, the 
i8th corps still upon the right, a part of the loth ordered 
to the left to intercept any movement that General Beau- 
regard could make from Petersburg. During the day of 
the 12th skirmishing" was going on, driving the enemy 
back as we advanced, but without bringing on a general 

371 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

engagement. At night we bivouaced, and in a rain 
storm tlirough nearly the whole night. 

Maj. Randlett was now in command of the regiment, 
Col. Plimpton being upon the staff of Gen. Terry. 

Early in the morning of the 13th commenced a move- 
ment which at night ended in the possession by the Army 
of the James of the outer defences of Richmond; three 
brigades of the loth corps, including our own brigade 







'O^ 







BUTLER'S LINE OF DEFENSE, BERMUDA HUNDRED. 



under Gen. Hawley, and all under the command of Gen- 
eral Terry, were ordered to make a detour to the left, and 
to attack the enemy upon their extreme right, ^^'e had 
now passed the White House, known otherwise as the Half 
Way House, on the turnpike, when the flank movement 
commenced to the left. Crossing the railroad, still mov- 
ing to the left, aproaching nearer and nearer the enemy's 
works at Drurys-Bluff, the outer defences of Richmond. 
In this flank movement, our division had left the main 
body of troops to the right. There was now quite a gap 

372 



BATTLE OF DRURYS- BLUFF 



or interval between our division and the left of the i8th 
corps. General Terry wishing to communicate with Gen- 
eral Gilmore, wanted a man to go on foot through the 
forest with despatches. Why he did not send a mounted 
courier in the usual way I do not know, unless it was 
from the fact that the roads in our rear were likely to be 

. swarming with the enemy's 

^■^^^^■^^^^^H cavalry scouts. My recollec- 
^^^^^^^^I^^H the matter that the 

^^^^^p^^^^^^ instruction to this courier was 
W': J Wk that he was to make his way 

i£k ^ hI through the woods, avoiding 

the road. The general called 
for a volunteer from our regi- 
ment and Colonel Randlett 
instructed me to find the man. 
I rode along the line until I 
found Company F, and stating 
the matter to the captain, 
asked him to call for a volun- 
teer from his company, when 
Corporal Ackerman, a Nashua 
man, stepped promptly for- 
ward. He was told the dangers of his mission, that the 
chances were more than even for his being shot or cap- 
tured by the enemy; he replied that he was ready to 
go, when he was conducted to General Terry. The gen- 
eral gave him the despatches and instructions. 

As is usual in such cases, two or more couriers were 
sent upon the same duty, but independent one of the 
other. We said good bye to Corporal Ackerman. hardly 
expecting to see him again. After quite an adventurous 
trip in dodging the enemy, with several narrow escapes, 
he reached his destination, delivering the despatches to 
General Gilmore. 




CAPT. JOSEPH ACKERMAN. 



373 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

Corporal Joseph Ackerman was one of our best and 
bravest, always ready for duty — prompt and soldierly. For 
this and other brave acts, and for his general efficiency as 
a soldier, he wa^ promoted to sergeant, and later to lieu- 
tenant, and at the close of the war came home as captain 
of his company. Captain Ackerman will be well remem- 
bered by our older citizens as one of our most respected 
veteran soldiers. He accidentally shot himself in his 
place of business July 21, 1879, leaving a widow and 
three sons, two of them are now practising physicians, 
one of the sons, George H., is one of Nashua's most pop- 
ular letter carriers. 

In the advance that was now made our brigade was 
detached, moving still further to the left for a mile or 
more, on to a highway. Moving further on we crossed 
the Richmond and Petersburg railroad, and from this 
point our regiment, the 3rd N. H., was ordered to make 
a further detour to the left. We soon reached an old 
church in the woods, and further on was a collection of 
negro cabins, the only visible occupant being an old negro 
woman. Here the major ordered the regiment to halt, 
made inquiries of the old darky, who said that through 
the woods a little way, was a rebel fort and a whole lot 
of soldiers. Forward was the command, and entering the 
woods we soon found ourselves in soft swampy land. 
through which ran a creek. Across the swamp and 
creek was a foot bridge. 

We had scarcely stepped upon the bridge, the Major 
at the head of the regiment, and I within a few feet of 
him, when our skirmishers opened lire, and a general 
fusilade from the enemy followed, the bullets singing by 
our ears. Major Randlett immediately, in a loud voice 
gave the command, "Left front into line." he and mvself 
advancing rapidly across the foot-bridge. The regiment 
came into line of battle by this movement, advancing 
through the swamp and creek, waist deep in places, 

374 



!i>l''*''^'''l'''!!?i:!!?J|ifeiSll!:ii: 




BATTLE OF DRURYS-BLUFF 

into an opening, where we met the enemy outside of their 
works; they had opened fire, and so close were some of 
them when firing in our faces, that they threw down 
their arms and begged for their lives. Into a field and up 
a slope the charge was made with a yell; the rattle of 
musketry was now intense; our boys were drop- 
ping to the ground, killed and wounded, the zip 
and ping of the rifle ball in rapid succession, the crack of 
artillery and shells exploding, uniting with the shriek of 
those who were wounded were the unearthly sounds 
known only to men who have been through the battle. 
The firing was now hot and heavy. From buildings on our 
left came a rapid fire from every window; our two left 
companies were ordered by the colonel to charge upon 
the buildings. We were then moving up the slopes in the 
direction of the rebel works; men were falling all around 
me, but it was the last in my thoughts that I should be hit 
myself. 

Forward we were charging under this hot fire from 
the entrenchments and the buildings. I was just getting 
over a fence, and in the act of jumping, with my sword 
raised in my right hand, when I felt the sting of a bullet. 
Looking, I saw that a ball had passed between the hilt of 
my sword and my hand, taking off a piece of my riding 
glove and the flesh. Looking at it for an instant, think- 
ing it a close call, I was again hit by a rifle ball in the 
shoulder; the blow was as from a heavy club and I fell to 
the ground. I did not wholly lose consciousness; my 
thoughts now were for my own safety and of getting back 
out from under fire; I tried to rise but fell back and la\- 
upon the ground between the rows of the cultivated land. 
The fight was going on — I heard the yell of victory and I 
could see the boys as they mounted the works of the 
enemy. Again I tried to rise to find my way to the rear, 
but faint from the loss of blood, I fell, after having gone 
a few paces; there I lay, for I do not know how long; 

377 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



around me there were many wounded, and numbers that 
were moving, staggering along, to get out from under the 
fire, and there were those who would never rise again, 
lying with arms and legs outstretched, with faces aghast 
and distorted and in pools of blood running from horrible 
wounds. W'itli a supreme effort I got on my feet, and 
staggered back to the edge of the woods, and lay down 

again, leaning 
against a log. Not 
far from me was 
an officer standing 
behind his horse, 
watching the tide 
of battle. He saw 
me and spoke. He 
asked me if I was 
able to ride his 
horse to the rear 
and report the sit- 
uation to General 
Terrv; he said he 
was General Fos- 
ter on the staf? of 
General Butler. I 
did not need to an- 
answer his ques- 
tion as he soon 
saw my condition ; m_\' left arm was hanging limp, 
and the blood running down, dropping from my fingers; 
he then said he would help me to the rear as soon as 
possible. I had other help however; in some way, I do not 
know how, T was taken back across the foot-bridge to the 
negro cabins, which had already been made a hospital and 
had been filled with the wounded, many more lying upon 
the ground outside; here I was given stimulants, and laid 
upon a blanket near the building. 

378 




Col. JOSEPH C. ABBOTT. 



BATTLE OF DRURYS-BLUFF 

The 7th N. H. regiment, with Colonel Abbott at the 
head, now came up on the double quick, to the support 
of our regiment. I arose to my feet as the regiment ap- 
proached, and, waving my cap attempted to give a cheer, 
hut fell in a collapse. 

With more stimulants T was awakened to the condi- 
tions around me ; the battle was still raging. I could hear 
the crack and crash of musketry with the booming of ar- 
tillery and exploding shells not very far away, along 
the whole front, and on into the distance. In the far 
distance came the booming of heavy guns, followed by 
the rolling vibrating sounds as of thunder, and way be- 
yond, in the direction of Richmond, we could hear the oc- 
casional sound of the guns of what later I learned was the 
1)attle of Spottsylvania. My brother, Captain Copp, in the 
Army of the Potomac, afterwards told me that on that 
day they could hear our guns and he remarked to some of 
the boys "There goes Butler's guns south of Richmond." 

Upon our advance across the swamp in going into 
the fight, Major Randlett and myself, who were the 
only mounted officers of the regiment, left our horses 
here at the negro cabins ; my colored boy Tom had my 
horse in charge. 

They now attempted to take me to the rear upon my 
horse's back, Tom leading the horse, and a man of the 
Hospital corps helping me to keep in my saddle. Back 
for a mile or more we went, and reaching the highway, I 
had become too weak and faint to longer keep my seat up- 
on the horse, when they took me off and laid me beside 
the road. Here there were many others waiting atten- 
tion from the surgeons, and to be carried to the rear. 

The pain from my wound had now become intense. 
I do not know how long I lay there without attention, 
other than that given me by Tom — the poor fellow want- 
ed to help me, but the best he could do was to give me 
water. 

379 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

After a time, realizing that some one was lying not 
far from me, for the first time I looked in his direction, 
and was astounded to see that it was my friend, Major 
James F. Randlett— "My God, Major Randlett," I said, 
between the spasms of pain, and every nerve in my body 
quivering with intensity, "how came you here?" "Why," 
said the Major, "you dear boy, I am here for the same 
reason that you are. Oh, I am so sorry that they have 
hit you at last." The Major himself suffered intensely 
with a severe wound in the leg. The chance that brought 
us here together under these conditions was something 
a little short of marvelous. 

Our own ambulance had not yet reached the battle- 
field, but by good fortune, as we thought, a captured am- 
bulance, or something they called an ambulance, with a 
mule and a negro driver, was brought up. We were both 
placed in the vehicle, and the negro directed to take us to 
the rear. 

OfT we started, driving many miles over rough roads, 
suffering from the jolting all the while. W^e could not see 
the direction in which we were going, and did not know. 
In fact, we were oblivious to everything but our own suf- 
fering. Suddenly we heard the clanking of cavalry sabers 
and the stamp of horses' feet, and the word, "Halt," 
sharply spoken. The negro driver stopped his mule and 
loud talking and swearing followed; we managed to look 
out, and one of the cavalry men had pulled the negro 
from his seat and had him by the throat with the threat 
that he would cut his black heart out of him, which we 
were ready to believe would be done, had we not remon- 
strated. It proved that the negro was taking us into the 
camp of the enemy, and we were on the way to Richmond, 
a very long distance from the Union line, when by acci- 
dent this squad of cavalry that had been sent out on a 
scouting tour met us on the road. 

380 



BATTLE OF DRURYS- BLUFF 

The nigger was defiant; when questioned sharply as 
to this deviltry, he said, "Look a yere, boss, I am Secesh. 
I just was gwine to took these yere officers to my massa 
in Richmond — he's a officer in Richmond — my massa 
neber hurt me." 

The cavalryman gave him a blow across the back 
with the flat side of his sabre and told him to get on to 
the seat, and about we turned, and under escort of two 
cavalrymen we were driven back as far as the railroad, 
where to the best of my recollection, there was no cross- 
road over the country to the Field Hospital that had been 
established at the Half-Way House on the turnpike, so 
we were taken from the ambulance, and not having 
stretchers, were taken upon blankets, and in a cramped 
and agonizing position, we were carried for I do not know 
how many miles, until we finally reached the Half-Way 
House. 

Upon our arrival we found many wounded had al- 
ready been brought in, and the house was being rapidly 
hlled. Our wounds were here dressed by a surgeon ; by 
extraordinary good fortune there was an empty bed in 
one of the chambers, and into this we were both put, and 
made as comfortable as possible. The floors in every 
room of the house were covered with men less fortunate 
than ourselves. The night was a sleepless one — the pain 
in our own wounds and the cries and groans of others 
through the building made sleep impossible. 

On the following morning, ambulances were brought 
up, and the wounded, one after another, were started ofif 
to the rear. Major Randlett and myself were placed in 
the same ambulance, and hour after hour we moved on, 
many miles of the way over a corduroy road, built through 
the swamp land with small trees or poles crosswise of the 
road; the jolting of the ambulance for miles over such a 
road was something horrible, every jolt bringing a twinge 
of pain, and starting afresh the flowing of blood from the 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

wounds. More dead than alive, we arrived at City Point, 
put on board the steamer, and at length reached Fort- 
ress Munroe. Fom here we were taken to the Chesapeake 
Hospital at Hampton. 




382 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



CHESAPEAKE HOSPITAL— THE GREAT WORK 
OF THE SANITARY COMMISSION. 

General Butler Defeated, Not Only by the Enemy, but by 
His Corps Commanders. 




OR nearly three years. I had miraculously escaped 
the shot and shell of the enemy, although many 
times under the fire of their guns, and had had 
no hospital experience until now. 
For the first time I found myself in the hospital and 
from the battlefield at Drurys-Bluff ; from the time I ar- 
rived there I was most fortunate in having the best of 

medical treatment by 
the phvsicians and the 
2 best of care from the 
^ hands of the nurses. I 
-^ remember with profound 
gratitude the special at- 
tention given me by Miss 
Harriet A. Preston, who 
was the nurse in charge 
of the ward that I was 
in. For what reason I 
do not know — it may 
have been my extreme 
youth — she gave me her personal attention from the time 
I was brought into the hospital, although having the re- 
sponsibility of the whole ward on her hands. I was also 

383 




/f^-^ 



CHESAPEAKE HOSPITAL. 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



fortunate in liaxing been in excellent physical condition 
when wounded. Under these favorable conditions the 
wound commenced healing by first intention and I was 
soon on the road to recovery. 

After I was disabled. Lieutenant John 'M. Parker 
was assigned to my position as Acting-Adjutant of the 

Regiment. I have 
])efore made mention 
of Lieutenant Par- 
ker's soldierly quali- 
ties. I cannot say 
too much of his 
faithful services as a 
soldier in the ranks 
and an ofificer of 
courage and efficien- 
c\'. Lieutenant Par- 
ker was promoted to 
a Captaincy. Re- 

luming to N e w 
I fampshire he had 
made his home at 
Fitzwilliam, succeed- 
ing in life to a high 
degree. 

Early in the war 
the medical staff 
found it an impossi- 
bility to care for all 
of the wounded, and thousands died upon the battlefield 
and upon their way to the hospitals, from want of the 
attention that in the crude organization of the medical 
corps, it was impossible to give. But later, the work of 
the sanitary commission supplementing and co-operating 
with the medical officers, a great change in the percent- 
age of the recovery from wounds followed. 

384 




CAPT JOHN M. PARKER. 



GENERAL, BUTLER DEFEATED 

The first appearance of the sanitary commission at 
the front during- active operations was not looked upon 
with favor by the medical staff of the army; it was 
thought to be an interference in their special province ; the 
war department did not at first look upon it with favor, 
even President Lincoln spoke of it as the fifth wheel to 
the coach; its inception was by the patriotic women 
throughout the North, who first organized for the work, 
bringing prominent men to their assistance, and by their 
persistent work, in a very few months it grew into large 
proportions, and through the remainder of the four years 
of war did the greatest humanitarian work the world ever 
saw. Inspectors, who were medical men, were sent to the 
front to examine into everything pertaining to the welfare 
of the soldier. It inspected the quality and quantity of the 
rations issued to the soldier — the cooking of the rations — 
the quality of the clothing issued, compelling through the 
military authorities the return of large quantities of in- 
ferior and shoddy uniforms and blankets that were sold 
to the government by dishonest contractors, and a better 
quality subsituted. It examined into the treatment of the 
wounded and sick upon the 1:)attlefield and in the hos- 
pital, it put trained nurses into the hospitals to care for 
the sick and wounded; it put kettles upon wheels with 
portable furnaces, and followed the army, issuing extra 
and wholesome rations wherever there was a necessity; 
it invented and built hospital cars for the more comfort- 
able transportation of sick and wounded soldiers; it main- 
tained forty soldiers' homes and free hotels over the route 
to and from the front, in which 800,000 soldiers were fed 
and cared for without expense to the soldier; it main- 
tained a hospital directory containing 600,000 names of 
soldiers in hospitals, furnishing invaluable information to 
relatives and friends at home; it had a special Battlefield 
Relief Corps, always present during engagements, with 
surgeons, ambulances and store wagons, giving aid to the 

385 



HKMIXISCKXCIOS (»K THK WAR OF THE REliELLION 



regular llospilal and Medical department of the Army. 
After the battle of Antietam, there were ten thousand 
wounded upon the l^attleheld to be taken care of and but 
for the Sanitary Commission infinitely more suffering 
would have followed. Here the commission distributed 
twenty-eight thousand pieces of dry goods — sheets, tow- 
els, pillows, etc — 
thirty barrels of old 
linen bandages and 
line — three thousand 
pounds of farina — 
twenty-six hundred 
pounds of canned 
meats — fi v e thou- 
sand pounds of beef 
— t h r e e thousand 
bottles of wine — 
four thousand sets of 
hospital clothing — • 
all this issued to the 
wounded of this one 
battle, and similar 
work following many 
of the greater bat- 
tles. For this mag- 
n i fi i c e n t patriotic 
work our country is 
indebted to the loyal women of the North. 

New Hampshire's representative nurse throughout 
the War was Miss Harriet P. Dame. She went early into 
the field with the 2nd X. H. Regiment, and did most 
faithful service with that Regiment and in the Field Hos- 
pital, through to the end of the War, loxed and respected 
by e\ery soldier who knew her. 

The Chesapeake hospital was a large three story 
frame building, with tall colonial columns in front, giving 

386 




Miss HARRIET p. DAME 

ARMY NURSe. 



GENERAL BUTLER DEFEATED 

it an imposing appearance. Before the war it was used 
as a female college, now taken possession of by the gov- 
ernment and used exclusively as a hospital for commis- 
sioned ofificers. 

In a humanitarian sense there should have been no 
discrimination in the treatment of officers and enlisted 
men, but there was a difference, nevertheless, although 
the difference must be paid for by the officer. 

Near this hospital building there was a large camp 
of tents and small buildings known as the "McClellan 
Hospital" and used for enlisted men. Thousands had been 
brought from the front to this hospital ; I do not know 
how many thousand ; probably not far from five thousand 
at this time, and a continual stream of ambulances was 
being driven up to the doors, bringing in the wounded 
from the battlefields in large numbers. There were 
large numbers being sent away daily, as fast as recovery 
was far enough advanced, either to the front to rejoin 
their regiments for duty or to the hospitals in and around 
Washington. There were many never again to see their 
home, and every day they were put in rude coffins and 
buried in the fields not far away. It was impossible to 
have formal funeral ceremonies ; to be sure there were 
priests and chaplains there to whisper words of hope into 
the ear of the poor dying boy who had been hoping 
against hope that his dear ones would come to him and 
whose last thoughts and last words were of home — here 
was the pathos of the war. 

News from the front was anxiously looked for 
and the arrival of the mail bringing letters and papers 
was the most important event of the day. 

Lying upon my cot, I read my letters from home and 
from the boys at the front, and scanned the newspapers 
with intense interest. The battle of Drurys-Bluff did not 
end upon the day of its opening — it had just commenced 

387 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

when I was stricken down and taken from the lield. The 
extreme right of the line of the rebel works had been en- 
veloped and taken possession of dnring the day of the 13th 
and the battle extended along the whole line of both the 
loth and i8th corps, to the James river, driving the enemy- 
back from the first line of intrenchments. 

General Butler now ordered an assault to be made 
upon the following morning along the whole line, but this 
order was not carried into execution, the corps command- 
ers asserting their own judgment against that of the gen- 
eral commanding in defiance of his orders. General Beau- 
regard had now come up from Petersburg wnth reinforce- 
ments ; he had succeeded in flanking our army on the 
left by roads with which he was familiar, and entering 
the defences of Richmond, had assumed command and 
was now confronting General Butler's forces. General 
Beauregard also ordered out from Petersburg a force 
under command of the rebel General Whiting to threaten 
our rear. On the night of the 15th, in a dense fog, Beau- 
regard made an attack upon the front of the i8th corps 
and drove our forces back, but not without great slaugh- 
ter of his men. 

Telegraph wires that had been taken from the poles 
along the railroad that we had destroyed had been 
strung along from tree to tree in front of our lines in a 
way that when the charge of the enemy was made, the 
men were thrown to the ground, piling one upon another 
in great confusion, where they were slaughtered like 
sheep, from the terrific fire of our guns. 

There had now been heavy fighting for three days, 
with severe losses, when General Butler, deeming his pos- 
ition untenable, withdrew the whole army back to the in- 
trenchments at Bermuda Hundred. 

General Butler having been defeated in his efforts. 
General Grant now ordered the i8th Armv Corps and a 

388 



GENERAL BUTLER DEB'EATED 

part of the loth Corps to join the Army of the Potomac, 
then north of the James and near Cold Harbor. General 
Butler's forces having been depleted, the enemy moved 
in upon his front and established a counter line of in- 
trenchments from the James to the Appomatox, parallel 
to his own. It was here and now that in the lano;ua2:e 




A TEMPORARY HOSPITAL--A BENEFICENT HAND. 

of his enemies he was "bottled up," Ijut it is clear to the 
unprejudiced critic, if the critic knows of what he is writ- 
ing", that General Butler's defeat was not so much at the 
hands of the enemy, as from his own corps commanders. 
General Heckman of the i8th Corps, who was cap- 
tured on the 14th and taken prisoner to Richmond, says 
that from his observation of conditions. Cicneral lUitler 
could ha\e taken Richmond had the movement been 
made on the mornin"' of the 14th of May as ordered. It 

391 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REUELLION 

is also true that by the direct diso]:)edience of the orders 
of General lUitler by Generals Smith and Gilmore, the 
opportunity of taking Petersl)nrg was lost, with far 
reaching disastrous results. 

Both General Gilmore and General Smith, like 
General McClellan, were officers of the engineer corps, 
and from long professional habit of thought in their 
special branch of education in the science of war, must 
put upon paper and figure to a mathematical certainty 
the plan of each movement of their army, with deduction 
of probabilities before commencing such movement. 
During the time these gencals were studying problems 
in mathematics, the enemy had brought up reinforce- 
ments, opened fire, and won the battle. 

The greatest battles of the war after Gettysburg 
were now being fought. The Army of the Potomac un- 
der General Mead, but directed by the genius of Gram, 
had fought the great l)attles of the Wilderness and Spot- 
sylvania. 

In four days fighting at Spotsylvania, the Army of 
the Potomac, something over one hundred thousand men. 
lost fifteen thousand, three hundred. The Army of the 
James in four days' fighting at Drurys-Bluff with 
twenty-five thousand men, lost four thousand, five 
hundred and sixty, showing a larger per cent of losses 
than that of the Army of the Potomac at Spotsylvania. 
I make note of these facts for a purpose; many people, 
and I think a majority of those who have been inter- 
ested in a histor}' of tlie War of the Rebellion, have cen- 
tered their attention upon the so-called great battles, for- 
getting that other armies than the Army of the Potomac. 
and General Sherman's army, also fouglit the battles of 
the war. 

Among the visitors who called upon me at the hos- 
pital was a Mr. Russell, who told nic that ho was there 



392 



GENERAL BUTLER DEFEATED 

under special authority of the war department, to see that 
the soldiers were being well cared for, and to do what he 
could for them. He was a very kind and agreeable gen- 
tleman, and from what he told me I concluded that he 
was quite near to the secretary of war, Mr. Stanton. He 
called upon me almost daily; I suggested to him one day 
that he would be doing his country a great service if he 
would get for me a leave of absence that I might visit 
mv home during my convalescence. Under the stringent 
orders of the war department at that time, every officer 
and man was sent to the front for duty as soon as re- 
covery made it possible. 

One of the officers in my ward, his name I cannot re- 
call, made a written application for a leave of absence, 
stating that his recovery would now enable him to travel. 
The application came back from the general commanding 
endorsed, "if this officer is able to travel, he w^ill imme- 
diately rejoin his regiment." This was not very en- 
couraging for others. I concluded, therefore, that my on- 
ly chance was through special influence with the war de- 
partment. Mr. Russell promised that he would do all he 
could to get a leave of absence for me. It may have been 
two weeks later, and three weeks from the time I entered 
the hospital, that he came into my room one day, his face 
lighted up with a smile, and handed me a document ; 
upon opening it I found a special permit from the war 
department to visit New Hampshire. 

T first hurrahed for Mr. Russell, then for the secre- 
tary of war, and then broke down and cried like a child ; 
which of course was a weak and childlike demonstra- 
tion — but I was weak — the shock to my system, and the 
sufl'ering from my wound had so reduced my vitality, that 
I was completely unnerved, but tears of joy and tears of 
grief are quite a different proposition. 

It needed but little time for pre]:)aration when I 
started for home with m\- ^irm in a sling; 1 took the little 

393 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

horse car at the door of the hospital, the horse car was 
drawn by one mule, and the car little larger than a good 
sized dry goods box. This car ran regular trips from 
Hampton to Fortress Munroe, about a mile and one half 
distant; at Fortress Munroe I took a steamer for Wash- 
ington, and thence by rail. Here I found myself in the 
same car with quite a number of officers and soldiers from 
the Washington Hospitals, who were also starting home 
on a leave of absence. Among them was Maj. Charles 
W. Sawyer of the 4th N. H. Regiment, who had been 
badly wounded at Drurys-Bluf¥. We were along together 
until we reached Oakdale, Mass., about half way from 
Worcester to Nashua; just before reaching this point, tne 
major had a bad hemorrhage from his wound, and we 
were obliged to leave him at the hotel near the depot at 
Oakdale. It proved to be very serious, the major dying 
in about a week from that time. 

I was very much exhausted on reaching home, but 
with a few days of home care and comforts. I recuperated 
and was on my feet again. I do not recall very much of 
my visit at this time ; I was glad, very glad, to get home I 
know, for rest and recovery. 

A few incidents I do remeni1)er, hardly worth the tell- 
ing, yet they hold strangely in my memory. One incident 
was the rcce])ti()n given me by ni)' sister Louise; she was, 
poor girl, overjoyed to see me, and rushing up to my 
chair, threw herself upon my shoulders, her right hand 
upon the wounded shoulder, with such force that I cried 
out with pain. She was terribly frightened and grief 
stricken. Nothing serious came of it, however, yet she 
made an impression u])on me that was quite lasting. 

I found no comfortable chair in the house as I 
thought, and as soon as I could do so I went down town 
to the furniture store of Fletcher and Urown in Beasom's 
block, and bought a rocking chair, which I used during 
mv staw and ha\c used man\- vcars since, and today it is 

394 



GENERAL BUTLER DEFEATED 

my favorite chair at home, while the Morris chair remains 
unoccupied. 

During my stay at home I was at the old book store 
much of the time, meeting and talking with John Tillot- 
son, who was then clerk in the book store, Will Cheever, 
Charles and James Whitmarsh and many other old 
friends who came in, telling over and over the story ot 
the camp and battle field. 

I watched the papers daily and read of the move- 
ments of the army and of my own regiment in particular, 
each day bringing a desire more and more to get back to 
my regiment and to my duty. It may seem unaccounta- 
ble that I should have this feeling to return to the dan- 
gers of the battlefield. I can not explain for I do not 
know — it surely was not the love of clanger, it was prob- 
ably a mixed feeling of pride in being with my regiment 
in all of its movements, that I should lose none of the 
experiences or honors that belonged to me. This feeling 
did exist, however, and very strongly, so much so that I 
was not satisfied to remain home long enough for my 
wound to heal, and against the advice of my physician, 
Dr. George Gray, I started for the front to rejoin my 
regiment. 

Before leaving I paid a visit to my brother, the Rev. 
H. B. Copp, at Seabrook, N. H. It w^as while wnth him 
here that a secpiel developed to a most remarkable 
dream, that I had about one year previously. 

It was in June, 1863, upon Botany Bay Island, S. C., 
on one of the very few nights that I had been upon picket 
duty, and in command of the picket line. The night had 
been intensely dark; several times I had been called by 
the Sergeant of the Guard to investigate alarms along 
the line, and altogether I had had a strenuous night. Re- 
turning to camp in the morning, I laid down upon the 
cot in my tent and fell asleep. Upon awaking I had 
the most vivid recollection of a dream that made c|uite 

395 



REMIXISCEXCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

an impression npon me at the time. In my dream I had 
been through a battle and had been wounded; I was ap- 
parently upon a leave of absence and in New Hamp- 
shire, not at my home, but in a strange place. One of 
my arms had been disabled and was in a sling; with me 
were friends, and we were riding in the country. The 
scenery was beautiful and clearly defined. Upon the 
right of the road was a hillside, sloping from quite a 
height, with an apple orchard. Rounding a bend in the 
road could be seen at a distance across an open country 
the spires of churches and a village. — So much of the 
dream was clear. 

It all would undoubtedly have been forgotten had 
not subsequent events devoloped a wonderful realization 
of the dream. 

It was while upon this visit to my brother at Sea- 
brook that occasionally we drove out for pleasure; upon 
one trip we went to Amesbury, Mass., a delightful ride 
through a pleasant country. My attention was called to 
a large orchard upon our right, upon a hillside sloping to 
the roadway, and rounding a bend in the road we could 
see at a distance across the open country the spires of 
churches and the village of Amesbury. Never before 
had I been in this place, but here was the counterpart 
of my dream. At home — wounded — my arm in a sling — 
riding with friends — and here was the identical scene 
that was so vividly presented in the dream of one year 
before. 



396 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



The Golden Opportunity of Ending the War in 1864 Lost 

June 9, at Petersburg. — Sheridan's Cavalry 

Cross the James. 




PON arriving at City Point I found Tom with my 
horse Don waiting for me at the dock, according 
to arrangements previously made. With a lit- 
tle assistance I mounted my horse, and started 
for the Bermuda Hundred camp where my regiment was 
located and in nearly the same spot where I had left it 
on the morning we moved out on the Drurys-Bluff cam- 
paign. 

I was given a hearty welcome back by the officers 
and men of the regiment. Everything was rather quiet 
along the lines at this time. Tents had been received and 
a comfortable camp was one of the surprises of my return; 
my own tent was waiting for me, a wall tent with a 
bunk that had been constructed with poles that Tom had 
cut in the woods; it was minus a floor, simply from the 
fact that there was nothing to make the floor of. A rude 
office table and a few camp chairs completed the equip- 
ment. 

Quite a little fighting had been going on during my 
absence. 

The boys told me of the attack made upon their lines 
by Beauregard, where the enemy were gloriously re- 
pulsed, and of their own attack upon the rebel rifle pits, 
our own regiment leading the attack, and of their rout- 

397 



RK.MIXISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE RP^BELLION 



iiig the l\cl)S out of their works, of how Capt. Maxwell, 
Lieuts. Eldredge, Trickey, Edgerly, Libby, Panker, Ather- 
ton, McCoy and Bowen had distinguished themselves by 
special daring in the face of the enemy, and that every 
officer and every man in the rank deserved special honor 
for their courage, all of which made me feel that I had 
been guilty of the misdemeanor of being absent at the 





9.^* ^::'^};^:\J />%! 




'?^^^«r^;jj^i 



-^^>a.^ 



A Successful Charge of the 3rd N. H. Upon the Rebel Works at Bermuda Hundred, 
June 16th, 1864. 



wrong time, and could not share in the glory of the hero- 
ism of my Regiment. 

A few days after my return it was reported that 
General Sheridan with his cavalry, after making his cel- 
ebrated raid around Richmond, in which he cut through 
the rebel line and made a circuit of the rebel capital, and 
Lee's whole army, hid now come out at the \Miite House 
on the York river. He was about to join the Army of 
the Potomac which was now in front of Petersburg; this 
would necessitate his crossing the James river. General 

398 



GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY OF ENDING WAR DOST 

Terry was ordered with his division, inchiding- the 3rd 
N. H., to protect the crossing of the cavah-y. It was 
thought the crossing would be contested by the enemy. 

The regiment was in Hue, ready to move. I had or- 
dered up my horse to take my place and go with the reg- 
iment, when Surgeon Buzzell came along and said to me, 
"Adjutant, you are unfit to go upon this movement, and 
as vour medical advisor I forbid you going." I replied, 
"I am sorry. Doctor, to disobey you, but I am going with 
the regiment." 

I was helped to mount my horse, then I reported to 
Colonel Plimpton who ordered me to relieve the acting 
adjutant, Lieutenant Parker. 

As the regiment moved out of camp I took my place 
riding with the Colonel at the head of the column, 
through the woods, over a by-road four or five miles to 
the Appomatox river, where steamers were waiting for 
the entire command. 

In embarking on board the boats, the horses were 
put upon the lower deck, the mounted officers dismount- 
ing, and leaving the horses with the orderlies and servants 
who led them over the gang plank on to the boat, the an- 
gle of the plank from the boat to the shore making it not 
an easy thing to do. 

It was all very wonderful to me, and I do not forget 
the intelligence of the horses in the army displayed under 
all conditions, adapting themselves to circumstances, 
learning their part equally as well as the men learned 
theirs. 

The horses of the commissioned ofificers were private 
property, and as a rule, were superior to the government 
horses, although in the cavalry there were many fine 
blooded animals that displayed the greatest intelligence, 
courage and endurance. Under the discipline of the armv 
the best of care was gi\'en the horses, so far as circum- 
stances would permit. 

399 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLIOX 

Frequently, upon long marches, it was impossible 
to get sufficient feed and water, then the poor animals 
had to suffer. In many cases the men became very 
much attached to their horses and they were their 
pets. Of course there was the same difference in the 
intelligence of the horse that we find in men. While some 
would be dull and indift'erent to surroundings, obey- 
ing the word of command in a listless kind of a way, oth- 
ers were on the alert, quick to grasp the conditions and 
showing human intelligence in performing their part in 
obedience to orders. I remember at one time we were 
on the march late at night, passing the bivouac of a 
cavalry corps. It was a new and wonderful sight to me ; 
an exhibition of the close relations that existed betw^een 
the warhorse and his rider — all over the field, horses 
and men were lying upon the ground together, asleep, 
the men sometimes between the legs of the horses, reclin- 
ing upon the horse's body. Upon an alarm in the night 
or a bugle call in the morning, man and horse were upon 
their feet instantly, and I never knew of a horse stepping 
upon his rider or in any way injuring him under these 
conditions. 

A charge of cavalry over a field with a fair chance 
was one of the most intense, exciting and inspiring of all 
the scenes of w^ar. Thousands of horses and their riders, 
the men with their sabres aloft, the horses upon the dead 
run, was something in a fair field that nothing could 
stand against. When met with the fire of the enemy, and 
the man shot from his saddle, the horse frequently kept 
on, riderless, as though determined to have his part in 
the victory, although without his master. 

My own horse Don was the peer of them all, al- 
ways ready for duty, and with an intelligence surpassing 
most horses. He knew battalion drill, or his part of it, 
as well as I did myself. Under fire he was cool as the 
veteran soldier, that he really was. 

400 






u 



iir:-, ^j^-e^^^' 









^1 2 



■'^^' /"^^''^■^ ''*■' 







BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

shells exploding, sending their scattered fragments into 
the earth and into the bodies of men around me. I could 
see dimly through the smoke of the battle to the right of 
our regiment a belt of woods; my intellect was clear 
enough to instinctively try to find a place of safety — if I 
could get over to one of those large trees, I would be pro- 
tected. I attempted to get on my feet but could not; 
several times I tried to rise, but gave it up and lay back 
on the ground, along side of the dead and others wounded. 
The effect of their cries and groans was lost upon me. 
I could have laid there and undoubtedly would have soon 
been beyond the possibility of rising again, but with a 
grim determination to get above it, again I made an effort, 
and getting partially on my feet, staggered forward, con- 
tinuing my efforts a step or two at a time, but crawling 
more of the distance than walking, I finally reached the 
trees, and laid down behind one of the largest; then for 
the first time I looked for the wound, the stimulant hav- 
ing the effect to restore in part the sensibilities, and to 
bring on the agony from the wound which I plainly saw 
was through the body of my right side. I had laid there 
but a moment or two when I heard some one shouting, 
''Adjutant Copp, has any one seen Adjutant Copp?" 
I raised my arm, when an officer approached who proved 
to be an aid upon the staff of General Hawley, who said 
the general had sent him with four men and a stretcher to 
take me off from the field. (This was a most extraordin- 
ary thing to do ; rarely in the heat of battle can any atten- 
tion be paid to the wounded.) To those who believe in a 
special Providence this was surely an instance of it, 
for nothing else would have saved my life than this 
act of General Hawley, and I doubt if anything but 
my extreme youth would have prompted him to have 
given this special attention to me among so many 
others lying there upon the field, although I had had 
very friendly relations with General Hawley. The bat- 

451 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF VHE REBELLION 

tie was still on and raiding" fuiMously when they hurriedly 
placed mc u])on the stretcher and started on the 
run for the rear. They had not gone many rods 

however, when the men stopped, left me on the 
stretcher, and they themselves g-ot 1)ehind the trees 
for protection from the fiu'ions lire of shot and shell. 
T beg'ged of the men to go on with me. I threatened them 
with all kinds of vengeance; the\' linally agreed to make 
a try; the bullets then were flying over and around me, 
striking into the earth close at hand, shells shrieking 




overhead *and exploding in the tree-tops, the fragments 
flying, ploughing up the earth in all directions, the lindjs 
of trees cut by the shells dropping on our heads. One 
man at each corner of the stretcher, they again started ou 
the run and reaching the rebel earth-works that Ave had 
carried, took me over them and down on the other side, 
where we were comparative!}' safe for the time. Colonel 
Plimpton had fallen, shot through the heart and killed in- 
stantl}-. I was told by Lieutenant Kerwin some time 
after, that he saw Colonel Plimpton and myself fall at the 
same instant. As can be seen, our premonitions, presenti- 
ments, or whatever it may be, proA'ed true in 1)oth cases. 
Colonel Plimpton killed and I practicall\- so. The ])osi- 
tion was held but a short time, not oxer t\\ent\- minutes. 

45-' 



BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 



when the enemy reinforced, swept down upon our line, 
driving back our troops, retakingtheir entrenchments and 
capturing nearly ah the wounded; I had escaped by a hair 
breadth, for had I fahen into the enemy's hands I should 
surely have never recovered. 

By another special Providence or stroke of good for- 
tune, I fell into the hands of the ambulance corps of our 
own regiment, who were waiting to care for the wounded 
when the l)att]e was over. Sergeant Jackman, a Nashua 

boy, and a per- 
sonal friend, was 
in charge of the 
corps. He imme- 
diately came to 
my aid, and from 
his canteen gave 
me whisky in 
large quantity, so 
much of it that I 
became oblivious 
to pain. The first 
ambulance had 
been brought up, 
and placing me 
in it without wait- 
ing for more of 
the wounded they 
started back in the 
direction of the 
James River for 
the field hospital. 
Sergeant Lemuel N. Jackman had proved a faithful 
soldier in every position to which he had been assigned. 
He had left the state as a private in the ranks of Campany 
F: he had been promoted to Corporal and now a Sergeant 
and in the last few months of the war his promotion was 

453 




Sergt. LEMUEL N. JACKMAN. 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

rapid. He was coinmissioned as Lieutenant, and subse- 
quently as Adjutant of the Regiment. He proved to be 
an efficient officer, serving faithfully to the end of the 
War. 

The tragedy and pathos of the \\'ar was a living 
reality to thousands upon thousands of the widow^s and 
children, and the fathers and mothers too, of those who 
gave up their lives upon the field of battle. The agoniz- 
ing scenes enacted at home, repeated day after day 
throughout the North, can not be told to this generation 
to bring home to them anything like its reality. 

In the 3rd Regiment were four young men who 
went out from Nashua in Company F. They each left at 
home a young wife, who bade them God speed, patriot- 
ically sending them forth to fight the battles of theircoun- 
try. These four young men were among the best sol- 
diers of Company F. They followed the fortunes of the 
regiment through three years of fighting and marching, 
sharing the dangers with the other boys of their com- 
pany, and more fortunate than most of them, escaping 
the bullets of the enemy to nearly the end of their three 
years of service. 

Lieutenant Button, Corporal Stetson, and Private 
Montgomery and Berry were the four young men of 
whom I am telling the story. 

Their wives were neighbors and intimate friends, ex- 
changing daily visits. Letters received by one were 
shared with the others. For three long years, month 
after month, week after week, and day by day their 
thoughts, their conversations and their love was centered 
upon their dear ones in the field. The time was now ap- 
proaching for their return, and in happy anticipation 
they waited the home coming, when they coud clasp 
their loved ones in a glad welcome home. 

It was now August, 1864; the date of the expira- 
tion of their service was the 23d. and just one week before 

454 



BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

the day of their discharge was the Battle of Deep Bot- 
tom, and in this battle every one of the four were killed. 

This remarkable fatality was only one instance of 
many cases where men who had served faithfully to near- 
ly the end of their term without a wound, were stricken 
down in battle and counted among the dead. 




CAVALRY SCOUTS IN THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY. 



455 



CHAPTER XXXI 1. 



Important Results of the Battle of Deep Bottom — The 

Dead and the Wounded of This Battle — The 

Field Hospital. 

\rfl HE Battle of Deep Bottom was foug-ht on the 14th, 
'^'^'^ 15th and 1 6th of August with momentous re- 
'^'^'P" suits. General Jubal Early with a large army, 
was thundering at the gates of our Capitol. For 
the third time Washington was in danger of capture ; the 
strategy of General Grant at this time in making an attack 
upon Richmond, resulting in the Battle of Deep Bottom, 
prevented General Lee from reinforcing Early and over- 
whelming Sheridan who was opposing him. The results 
of the capture of Washington at any time during the 
war by the rebel forces need not be told. It was foretold 
at the time, and it is apparent to any student of history 
that the capture of A\'ashington b}^ the Confederate 
forces would have been followed by the recognition of 
the Southern Confederacy, first by England, a govern- 
ment and people in sympathy with the South, when other 
European governments would have followed. 

During the three days' fighting at Deep Bottom, 
Geueral Grant reinforced the army of Sheridan, and the 
defences at \\'ashington. Early was overwhelmingly de- 
feated and driven back in this the last effort of the en- 
emy to capture AA'ashington. 

The brave men therefore, of the 3rd N. H. Regi- 
ment, and of all that army that crossed the pontoon 
bridge on the night of the 13th of August and who died 
upon the 1)attlefields of Deej) Bottom, did not give up 

4.V 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



their lives in vain. And yet. notwithstanding- the trans- 
cendent importance of this battle, we fail to find in the 
history of the War of the Rebellion more than a casual 
mention of the Battle of Deep Bottom. 

The losses of onr regiment in this battle were more 
than forty percent of the number engaged and a large per- 
cent of this number were killed and wounded within the 
space of fifteen to twenty minutes. 

Lieutenant Charles A. White was shot through his 
right arm and body; he was one of the fortunate few 

who was taken 
from the field be- 
fore our forces 
were driven back. 
Lieut. White's 
wound was be- 
lieved to be latal; 
the ball had passed 
through the body 
and its passage 
went through one 
of the lungs. He 
was taken to the 
Chesapeake Hos- 
^^ ym ]Mtal and through 

'^^ w^-w-r -^^ ^--^ .^j-jj care, he com* 

menced a recov- 
ery, and is now 
li\ing. Lieuten- 
ant White had 
risen from the ranks and was later commissioned as Cap- 
tain, he was a courageous and able officer ; he was pop- 
ular with his brother officers, as well as with the men in 
the ranks. After the war he went into the west where 
he won wealth and honors; he is now li\ ing in Greeley, 

45^ 








IMPORTANT RESULTS OF THE BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 



Colorado, and is one of the ex-mayors of that city, and 
an honored citizen. 

Captain W'adha was also wounded. He was our Ser- 
geant Wadlia of Fort Pulaski and "swamp angel" fame. 

Lieutenant Lam- 
p r e y was shot 
through the body fa- 
tally 

Lieutenant Acker- 
man, later Captain 
Ackerman of Nash- 
ua, who gallantly 
stood up in the 
face of the fire, ex- 
hibiting the same 
courage that he al- 
ways had shown, was 
also wounded. 

Lieutenant Don- 
ley, the brave little 
Donley of whom we 
have before spoken 
was wounded and for- 
tunately escaped 
from the field. 

Lieutenant El- 
dredge who had made himself conspic- 
uous, not only to our own men, but to the enemy, was hit 
as he thought by a sharpshooter, the bullet passing 
through his wrist. He was hit early in the fight and the 
last act of Colonel Plimpton immediately before he was 
killed was to assist Lieutenant Eldredge in putting a 
turniquet upon his arm to stop the flow^ of blood, which 
enabled the Lieutenant to get to the rear, escaping a 
shower of lead and iron from the enemy's guns. 




Capt. DANIEL ELDREDGE. 



45Q 



RKMIXISCIOXCKS OK THK WAR OK THE RF:BELL,I0X 



Captain Arlon S. Atherton, one of the \oungest 
and l)ravest of our regimental ofiicers, was badly wound- 
ed in the chest, a l)ullet also passing through his arm. 
He was left upon the field and taken prisoner by the en- 
emy. That he lived to tell the story is most wonderful. 
The enemy had driven our forces back and the battle had 
ended ; he Ia\' upon the field helpless, and as he himself 
thought, approaching his end; his mouth and throat had 
filled with blood from the wound in his lung, and it was 
witli great difficulty that he could breathe at all. The 

enemy was u])on 
I the field. movmg 
around among the 
wounded. plunder- 
ing them of e\er\'- 
thing of value, 
fiendishly strip])ing' 
from their Ixxlies 
uniforms. u n d e r- 
clothes. l)Oots, liter- 
a 1 1 y everything. 
One of our wound- 
ed men had a gold 
ring u])on his linger, 
when a barbarian in 
rebel uniform seiz- 
ed his hand, at- 
tempting to remcne 
the ring, and failing 
to do so, took his 
knife from his belt, and was about to sever the finger 
!rom the hand, when the cries of the man arrested the 
attention of one of the rebel ofiicers. who ])re\ented the 
outrage. 

Captain Atherton lay in a semi-conscious condition; 
the enemv had conmienced to carr\- ofi' our wounded, but 





capt. arlon s. atherton. 



460 



IMPORTANT RESULTS OF THE BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

failed to give him any attention- There was a rebel sur- 
geon near; the captain aroused himself and made a Ma- 
sonic sign which the surgeon recognized and went to him. 

He relieved the Captain temporarily by washing out 
his mouth and throat and then called upon two of his men 
wdio carried him to a tree, and placed him up- 
on the ground in its shade. When this officer 
left him he gave the Captain to understand that 
he would return for him, but night came on without fur- 
ther help, and through two days and nights he lay with- 
out attention, in unspeakable agony, but unconscious, he 
thought, part of the time ; breathing was possible only 
by lying upon his side that the blood should escape from 
him mouth. In the early morning of the third day, hav- 
ing laid for an indefinite time in a dazed condition, he 
opened his eyes, and kneeling beside him was a small 
boy some eight or nine years of age, poorly clad, but with 
an intelligent face. 

The Captain could not speak; the boy kneeling down 
beside him, and in tones full of sympathy, said, "Mister! 
Mister ! I want to do something for you. Are you hun- 
gry ? I can get you some string beans." (It w^as proba- 
bly all the poor boy had to eat himself.) "Mister! Mis- 
ter! AMiat can I do?" 

The Captain pointed to his mouth, and the boy seem- 
ing to understand, said, "Yes, yes, I know where there is 
some water," and taking a canteen he disappeared dow^n 
the ravine nearby, and soon returned with the canteen 
full of spring water — this little bare-legged angel of mer- 
cy in knee breeches and bare head — and with his help he 
managed to wash out his mouth and throat and to quench 
his thirst. 

Captain Atherton l)elieves the boy may have saved 
his life, coming at a time wdien he thought himself ap- 
])roaching death. 

461 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

The same officer who had reHeved him the day be- 
fore appeared later in the day with an ambulance, into 
which he was placed and taken to Richmond. 

The story of his treatment in the rebel prison I do 
not know, but without doubt, in his case, as with nxany 
others through the war, the mystic tie of the Masonic or- 
der gave him unusual attention and thus his life was 
saved. 

Many years after the war Captain Atherton was tell- 
ing the story to some of the old boys at the reunion at 
the Weirs, when the question was asked if he had ever 
heard from the little boy. He said he had not, and it was 
suggested that he make an effort to find him by adver- 
tising in a Richmond paper. The suggestion was acted 
upon by the Captain; he inserted an advertisement in the 
Richmond paper, detailing the circumstances of the battle 
and of his being found upon the field by a little boy and 
asking that if this boy was still living he would corre- 
spond with him, giving the postoffice address as Wake- 
field, Mass. It was not long before he received an an- 
swer in the form of a letter from a man in Richmond, say- 
ing that he remembered a circumstance such as described 
in the advertisement, and thought he must be that boy. 
Not long after this. Captain Atherton went to Richmond 
for the express purpose of finding this man. Arriving 
in Richmond, having the street and number, he soon 
found the house. Ringing the door bell, a man made his 
appearance, a man apparently forty-five to fifty years 
of age, with whiskers and hair beginning to turn gray. 
Introducing himself, he was invited in. Taking seats, 
they went over the Battle of Deep Bottom. The man 
had a distinct recollection of finding a wounded officer 
one morning after the battle. It w^as difficult for Cap- 
tain Atherton to believe that this could be the boy who 
saved his life on the battlefield. As they were talking, a 
small l)ov opened the door and came into the room. The 

462 



IMPORTANT RESULTS OF THE BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

Captain was thrilled at the sight of the boy and pointing 
he said, "There is the boy !" The child was the son of 
this man and a reproduction of the boy of the battlefield. 

The day following the battle of the i6th, our men 
went out under a flag of truce to bury the dead The body 
of Colonel Plimpton was found and recognized ; he was 
one of sixty or more, and all stripped of their entire 
clothing. In the last year of the war, the rebel army was 
partly clothed and uniformed by not only stripping the 
dead and wounded upon the battlefield, but every Union 
])risoner was robbed of his clothes and everything of value, 
immediately upon his falling into their hands, the Union 
prisoners being given in exchange the cast off rags of the 
rebel soldiers. This barbaric practice was but an instance 
in the outrageous and brutal treatment of the Northern 
soldier in the hands of an inhuman enemy, and these 
practices by direct authority and orders of the govern- 
ment at Richmond. This statement is made upon no 
other authority than the official records of the government 
at \\'ashington in the report of the Congressional Com- 
mittee upon the conduct of the war. 

I know too well that there are many people through- 
out the North who object to the stigma put upon the 
Southern people by using the term "rebel" instead of 
"Confederate;" they apparently forgot the distinction, 
and would expunge from the English vocabulary the 
words "treason" and "loyalty." The truth remains, how- 
ever, that there was a gigantic rebellion by the people 
of the South and the methods of their warfare were most 
barbarous and cruel, and in this they became "rebels." It 
is also logically true that if the South were right in its 
attempt to dissolve the Union, we committed a crime in 
waging war against the Southern people in the suppres- 
sing of the rebellion. I agree that the animosities grow- 
ing out of the war should be forgotten, but so long as 
the Southern people glorify the rebellion, insisting that 

463 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

it was right and not a wrong, demanding that their lead- 
ers shall be recognized as heroes, and upon the same 
level of honor as that of the soldiers of the North, and 
lliat thc\- shall l)e so recognized l)y the Northern people, 
then I say it is an attempt to wipe out the distinction be- 
tween right and wrong, loyalty and treason, and further, 
that the Soiilhern people in taking this position, are di- 
rectly responsible for keeping alive such animosities. 

Chaplain Hill, personally superintended the burial of 
the body of Colonel Plimpton and the erection of a tem- 
]:)orary headstone and marking the grave. Later, under 
orders of ColonelRandlett. the body was removed and im- 
der his personal custody was taken to ^vlilford. the New 
Hampshire home of Colonel Plimpton, where funeral ser- 
\ices were held, and which I attended— I think this was 
in the year 1S65. 

Colonel Josiah I. Plimpton fills a large place in the 
history of the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment. No more 
loyal or braver man went out from New Hampshire. He 
was a man of unusual executive ability, winning a higher 
rank than was ever awarded him. He was a strict dis- 
ciplinarian, and therein was one of the great merits he 
possessed as a military of^cer; sometimes the men did 
not understand him, but those who knew him l)est hon- 
ored and respected him. My official connection and 
close relations with him personally, ga\'e me an insight 
into his character that all did not know, and the memory 
of him that remains to me is that of a hnal. courageous 
soldier, and a true friend. 

My rescue from the battlefield by General Plawley. 
who found me among the wounded, and the series of re- 
markable circumstances following, wherein my life was 
saved, borders upon the miraculous. The Almightv's hand 
seems to have been in it. None of our own and)ulances 
had been brought up. yet there was one at hand, a cap- 
tured rebel ambulance, and Sergeant Jackman immediate- 

464 



THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG 

I had man}' papers, includin!^" Harper's Weekly and 
Leslie, these two jjapers being the leading illustrated pa- 
pers of the time. \\'hen there was anything- especially in- 
teresting, I would pass the papers along to others. In 
one issue of Harper's Weekly there was a large picture of 
General Robert E. Lee. Having occasion to go to General 
Hawdey's tent, I took this with other papers along with 
me, and handed them to the general. Upon seeing the 
picture of General Lee, General Hawley told me that his 
colored boy Jim said he w^as, before the ^\ ar, a house 
servant to General Lee. "Now," said General Hawdey, 
"I will see if he has been telling the truth." And sending 
the orderly for the colored man, Jim soon made his ap- 
pearance. "See here, Jim," says the general, "do you 
know^ who that is?" (holding up General Lee's picture.) 

The darkey's eyes fairly bulged in their expression, 
and slapping his hand upon his .knee, he said, "Foh de 
Lawd sake, boss, why, clat is ole Bob Lee." "Well," the 
general said, "I g'uess he knows General Lee, sure 
enough." 

The seige of Petersburg was now being pressed with 
vigor and firing was continuous, the sounds of the guns at 
times vibrating and revibrating- into one continuous roll. 

A\'e were in frequent cc:)mmunication with the troops 
in front of Petersburg and kept posted in a general way, 
of the operations there. Frequent visits were made, more 
particularly by the officers, riding from time to time, the 
distance being four or fi\-e to six or eight miles, from our 
camp to various points. 

INIy brother, Capt. C. D. Copp, w'as ^\■ith his regiment, 
the 9th N. H., in front of Petersburg, the camp being 
south of the Appomatox, some eight or ten miles from my 
own camp; getting permission, I mounted m_\- horse and 
rode over to the camp of the 9th. 

Arrixing there I Avas told that my brother was in the 
hospital at City Point. Without dismounting, 1 turned 

417 



RIOMIXKSCENCES OK TlllO WAR OF THE REBELLION 

about and rode back and down to City Point. Although 
we had made several efforts during our service in the field 
to meet, we had failed in every instance to do so, and it 
was now over three years since we had seen each other. 

Arriving at the large camp of hospital tents at City 
Point, I at length found him, and convalescent from his 
recent sickness. One of the little incidents that I do not 




GEN. BURNSIDE IN THE FIELD. 

forget — having remained with my brother over night, in 
the morning 1 discovered that my horse had found quar- 
termaster's oats during the night, and liad so filled him- 
self that I feared I should ha\'e no horse before many 
hours, but it proved that "Don" knew what he was about, 
and came out of it all right. 

My brother was to return to his regiment that morn- 
ing, and we started for the front together; he riding in an 
ambulance, and T alongside on my horse. Reaching the 

418 



THE SIEGE OP PETERSBURG 

road that led off through the woods to my camp, I bade 
him gooc^bye put spurs to my horse, separating as we 
both might well suppose, possibly for the last time he go- 
ing to his own regiment in the trenches in front of Peters- 
burg, where he would practically be under fire night and 
day, and I to my own regiment in face of the enemy 
unH Jh '" had been rumors of a mine that was being dug 
under the rebel works in front of Petersburg, and there 
were wdd rumors in Petersburg that the whole town wis 
undermined and would surely be blown up by the Yank 




The Siege of Petersburg. Troops Going to the Front From City Point 



In front of General Burnside's corps, the oth, an ad- 
vance position had been gained by some pretty sharp 
fighting, to within about 130 yards of the enemy's main 
hne confronting Elliott's Salient. It was here where Col- 
onel Pleasants of a Pennsylvania regiment, who had been 
a mining engineer, proposed to dig a mine under the 
rebel fort, and blow them sky high, as he expressed it 
1 he scheme was not approved by General Mead, but Gen- 
eral Burnside favored it, and Colonel Pleasants was allow- 
ed to proceed with the work and on the 23rd of Julv the 
mine was ready for placing the powder. The main gallery 
was 510 feet in length, and the gallery running to the left 
under the fore was ^7 feet, and the one runnhig to the 

419 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OK Til 10 REHEI.LK^N 

right 38 feet. The magazines of powder, eight in nnniber, 
were placed in these short galleries. The mine was 
charg^ed with 8,000 pounds of ])owder. The enemy had 
learned of the mine and commenced digging counter 
mines, but could not accurately locate our galleries; so 
near were they that the sound of their picks and shovels 
could be heard but a few feet away from our own galler- 
ies. 

In the first plan for the attack that was to be made im- 
mediately following the explosion, the colored troops 
were to lead the charge, but at the very last, a few hours 
before the mine was to be exploded. General Grant disap- 
proved of the plan and ordered the white trooops to take 
the lead, instead of the colored troops. 

General Burnside, who had been very much inter- 
ested in the plan in all its details, was greatly disap- 
pointed and embarrassed at this change of orders, but in 
the military, orders cannot be questioned. He imme- 
diately called the commanders of his three divisions of 
the white troops together to determine which should lead 
the assault. It was suggested that the selection be de- 
cided l)y drawing lots; the general, therefore, cut three 
straws of different lengths, and holding them in his 
hand, each general to draw one, the decision as to which 
of the three divisions should be sacrificed was decided in 
the choice falling upon General Ledlie, the commander 
of the 1st division. He took it coolw and after receiving 
special instructions from General Burnside, he called his 
brigade commanders together, and arranged the details 
of the attack. 

This was all done in the evening before the explosion 
that was to take place in the early morning. The orders 
to General Ledlie were, as soon after the exi)losion as pos- 
sible, to push forward through the break that would be 
made in their lines and take possession of Cemeter\' Hill, 
which was a commanding position within the rebel lines. 

4JO 



THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG 

The troops were in readiness and in position before mid- 
night, General Ledlie's division in the very advanced in- 
trenchments and the whole army under arms, waiting 
orders. This included the Army of the James as well as 
the Army of the Potomac. Our own regiment had been 
ordered out with others, and waiting in line behind our 
breastworks, momentarily expecting to hear the explo- 
sion, when it was understood that a general advance 
would be made. 

Daylight approaches, and yet no sound except the 
usual firing upon the picket line in our own front, and on 
along the whole line to our left, until the sounds are lost 
in the distance. 

Four o'clock came, everybody in a state of nervous 
expectancy, wondering at the delay; it was believed that 
the fuse must have died out, and so it proved. Sergeant 
Henry Rees and Lieutenant Jacob Douty, both of a 
Pennsylvania regiment, volunteered to go into the mine 
and relight the fuse. This act of extraordinary bravery 
should have been given a more prominent place in history 
than it has been. The explosion immediately followed 
with a tremendous roar, the earth trembling as with an 
earthquake — an awe inspiring spectacle to those who 
were in the immediate front — a mass of earth rose into 
the air, carrying with it men and bodies of men, severed 
limbs, guns and gun carriages and del)ris of camp ecjuip- 
age, only partially enveloped with the huge cloud of 
smoke floating skyward. So close were the men in the 
line of the assaulting column, that the whole mass ap- 
peared to be descending upon them — they were dazed for 
the moment, but with the orders of their officers to ''over 
the works and charge upon them." they clambered over 
and into the opening, 5,000 men rushed on, disorganized, 
but gathered in a mass at the edge of the crater many 
feet in depth, formed by the explosion, heedless of every- 
thing — they were almost transfixed by the sight that met 

4-'3 



RILMIXISt'EXCES OF THE WAR OF THE REP.EET.IftX 

llicir c\cs — scores of men buried, and partially buried, 
heads. lei;"s, arms, and bodies ])rotu(linL;'. iulcrmixed with 
timl)ers, guns and g'un carrias^es, embedded in the mass. 

The 2nd brijuade, under Colonel Marshall, had led in 
the .'idxanee, and now General ]>artlett with the i st bri- 
i>ade, charged forw'ard, his men only to be intermingled 
with those of the 2nd brigade around the crater. lUit now 
under the leadership of Colonel Marshall, the troops 
]M-essed forward down into the crater, jumping and 
tund)ling man\- feet, some stop]iing to extricate the uu" 
fortunate men who were still ali\'e, then up the other 
side of the crater, and on to the crest thcN' climbed. 

The enemy still holding the line on either side of the 
crater were now^ fully awakened to the situation, and 
ha\ing reco\ered in part from the sur|)rise and shock of 
the explosion, opened a hot fire upon our men from both 
Hanks, and into their hacks. This brought confusi(^n and 
l)anic in the ranks of our men, and l)ack they went into 
the crater. 

The explosion was a signal for the opening (^f our 
guns along the whole line, and a tremendous cannonading 
was now going on. 

It is and always has been, incomprehensible to me as 
it has been to others, why, at this critical time following 
the explosion, a general adxance of the other troo])s \\a^- 
not ordered and made. The crater was now tilled with 
the two brigades with scarcely standing room foi" the men. 
The enemy had brought batteries into position that swept 
the crest of the crater and the ground in front, between 
the lines as well, with grape and cannister. Mortars now 
connnenced to drop their shells into the crater, a<lding to 
the terrific slaughter. 

(ieneral Griffin's brigade of (ieneral Potter's division 
was now sent forward. The difficulty of adxancing ox'er 
and through the labxrinth of coxered wa)'s and breast 
works so disorganized the troo]^s. that in meeting the se- 

424 



THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG 

vere fire from the enemy's grape and cannister after an 
ineffectnal etTort to carr}- the works in their front, they 
moved rapidly into the crater, which was ah-eady more 
than fnll of a chsorganized mass of onr men. Freqnently 
an attempt wonld be made b}' some brave officer, followed 
by brave men, to attempt to scale the sides of the crater 
to move against the enemy, but each time they were 
swept back, dead or wounded, falling into the mass below. 
\\'hy, in Heaven's name, was the attack not made upon 
the right and left by the brave troops that were in wait- 
ing and ready for the command? This cjuestion re- 
mains unansw'ered. 

Alajor Powell throws a little light upon the situation. 
He says: "Previous to the last movement I had again 
left the crater and gone to General Ledlie, and had urged 
him to try to have something done on the right and left 
of the crater — saying that every man who got in to the 
trenches to the right or left of it used them as a means 
of escape and the enemy w^as occupying them as fast as 
our men left. All the satisfaction I received was an order 
to go back and tell the brigadier-commander to get their 
men out, and press forward to Cemetery Hill. This talk 
and these orders, coming from a commander sitting in a 
bomb-proof inside the Union lines, was disheartening. I 
returned again to the crater and delivered the orders, 
which I knew could not possibly be obeved ; and I told 
General Ledlie so before I left him." 

Two hours after the explosion. General Ferrero's 
division of colored troops was sent forward, and did he- 
roic work. In this division was Major Proctor of ^^'ilton, 
in command of one of the companies. Under a terrible 
fire from the enemy, they crossed over the works and on a 
portion of the division beyond the crater, but meeting 
with an increased fire from the eneni)- who had now fully 
recovered from the surprise and panic, had brought ad- 
ditional batteries to bear that were doing murderous 

4-' 5 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



work, and the colored troops too, breaking, fell back to 
the crater, leaving the ground covered with their dead 
and wounded, the larger number reaching the Union line 
of defense. Had the colored troops been ordered to make 
the attack earlier in the day, or had they had support, it 








GUN CAPTURED BY COLORED TROOPS. 

is possible that they would on that day have led the Army 
into Petersburg. 

About 9 o'clock General IJurnside ga\e orders to 
withdraw the troo])s from the crater. This order was 
easier issued than executed. 

426 



THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG 

Following the repulse of the negro troops, the rebel 
forces rallied and made a charge upon the crater. The 
struggling mass of men concentrated here were practi- 
cally helpless, and resistance useless; the enemy rained a 
murderous fire in upon them, and into the crater they 
poured, in a hand to hand conflict. 

Our men were driven out, bayoneted and slaughtered, 
a remnant only escaping to our lines. 

The 9th N. H. went into this battle led by the brave 
Captain Hough. It was in the very front, and was the 
first to plant its colors upon the rebel works. It lost in 
killed and wounded nearly one-half of the numbers en- 
gaged; Captain Hough was shot through the head, car- 
rying away a portion of the jaw and was left for dead upon 
the field. The burying party had already dug his grave 
when there were signs of life, and he was taken to the 
hospital, finally recovering. 

A field officer of one of the colored regiments, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel John A. Brown, in the heat of the fight 
seized the colors when he saw his men wavering under 
the murderous fire of the enemy, and mounting the 
highest point of the crest, waved the colors, urging his 
men on, when he was riddled by the cannister shot and 
fell to the earth. 

There were many instances of personal bravery that 
will never be recorded in this and other battles of the 
war; the greater number of heroes went to their death 
in the defense of the flag and their country, whose hero- 
ism is not recorded upon the pages of the books of war, 
but whose names are emblazoned upon the rolls of the 
immortals who laid down their lives that their country 
might live. 

There were alsoamusinghappenings ; one of the black 
regiments was moving upon the crater to mount the crest 
when a big black sergeant noticed one of the men lag- 
ging behind, evidently intending to remain in the crater 

427 



REMIXISCH.XCES OF THF] WAR OF THP: RrOBIOLLIOX 

out of the \va\- of the biiHets. lie was aeeosted 1)\' the 
sergeant with "None o1) yod d — n skulkin" and witli his 
big l)lack hand seized the culprit in his powerful grasp by 
the waistband of his trousers, carried him to the crest 
of the crater, threw him over to the enemy's side, and 
(|uickly followed. 

Among those captured from the enemy was General 
\\ illiani V. Bartlett; earlier in the war he had lost a leg 
which he rc])laccd with one of cork. While he was standing 
in the crater, a shot was heard to strike with the peculiar 
thud, known to those who have been in action, and the 




Spencer Ereech Loading Rifle adopted and used to a Limited Extent by the 
Union Army in 1864. 



was 



have 



general was seen to totter and fall. A nund)er of officers 
and men innnediately lifted him. when he cried out. "Put 
me in any place where I can sit down." 

"I'ut _\-ou are wounded, (ieneral. aren't you?' 
the incpiiry. 

"Ah- leg is shattered all to i)ieces." said he. 

"Then \'<)U can't sit up." they urged. "_\-ou will 
to lie down." 

"Oh. no." said the general, "it's my cork leg that is 
shattered." 

The crater made bv the ex])losion was 60 feet wide, 
170 feet long, and about 30 feet deep. In and around 
this crater was the most fearful carnage of the w\ar. if not 
in hislorw within the time and s])ace occupied. There 
was killed 423 men, 1,661 men wounded, over 2,000 cap- 
tured by the enemy, the total loss reaching about 4,000. 



428 



CHAPTER XXXI. 




Battle of Deep Bottom — Wounded — Life Saved by Gen- 
eral Hawley — Death of Colonel Plimpton. 

E were now approaching the end of three years' 

/ffe? service, and the time of the discharge of those 

who had not re-enlisted for the war, and the 

boys were beginning to count the days before 

they were to be mustered out. I found upon the records 

of my office and so reported to Colonel Plimpton, the 

condition of the regiment as follows: 

Whole num])er upon the rolls at present time 784 

Present 540 

iVbsent sick 189 

On detached service and prisoners of war 55 

Present for duty 453 

Number whose term expires 23rd August 271 

Remaining upon rolls, present and absent 513 

Officers present and absent 35 

Colonel Plimpton forwarding this report to Corps 
Headquarters through the regular channels, asked for in- 
structions. 

The orders of the w^ar department provided that reg- 
iments remaining in the service after the expiration of the 
time of the original enlistments, could retain their organ- 
ization intact if of sufficient numbers, otherwise they 
might be assigned to other commands. General Hawley 
commanding our brigade, endorsed upon the report 
"Respectfully forwarded." "It seems to me for the good 
of the service decidedly, that the organization of the 3rd 

429 



KIOMINISCKNCES OF T]II<] WAR OF THE REBELLION 

N. IJ. Regiment ])C preserved entire, as a regiment it has 
fully earned a high reputation in all respects." 

The report passing to division headcjuartcrs, Gen- 
eral Terry made the following endorsement: "Respect- 
fully forwarded." "I entirely concur in the recommenda- 
tion of General llawley; this regiment is one of the best 
I ever saw, and I most earnestly recommend that the or- 
ganization be preserved." 

The report reaching the army headquarters, it was 
ordered that the organization of the 3rd N. IJ. Regiment 
be continued intact. 

As the day for the discharge came near, the l)oys 
whose term would be out and they could start for home, 
became intensely anxious fearing that we might be called 
into action and another battle before the day of their 
discharge. Their fears were fully realized, for within a 
week from the day of the* date of their leaving for home 
was the Battle of Deep Bottom, in which numbers of 
those who had fought bravely through the three years 
of war and whose thoughts had turned to their homes, 
anxiously awaited for by their loved ones, were mus- 
tered out — on to the eternal camping ground. Among 
those who were killed whose term was about to expire 
was Lieutenant Button of Nashua, whose widow lived for 
many years in our city after the war. Numerous others, 
whose names I cannot recall, were also doomed after 
faithfully serving their country for three years, never 
again to see their earthly home. 

A movement was commenced on the 13th of August 
that was the beginning of the end with many of us. 
At that time General Sheridan was in the Valley of the 
Shenandoah fighting General Early, who was moving 
with a large force upon Washington — the Army of the 
Potomac was in front of Petersburg, and the defenses of 
Washington had been largely drawn upon to reinforce 
the armies in the field. 



BATTLK Oh' DIOIOI' I'.O'I'TOM 

This move of the enemy upon \\'ashint;-ton had cre- 
ated a panic in that city, but in this, as in all other move- 
ments. General Lee was outgeneraled by General Grant, 
who was at all times in touch with General Lee's head- 
<:|uarters through a well organized system of scouts and 
correspondents, every movement of Lee's army was 
known to General Grant almost before it was commenced, 
and to General Grant's comprehensive mind there came 
llu' strategic plan of operations to check and defeat the 
movement, which was at once put into execution. To pre- 
vent the reinforcement of General Early by General Lee, 
a division of the loth Army Corps, under General Terry 
and the 2nd Division of the Army of the Potomac, under 
General Hancock, was ordered to cross the James River 
to make an attack upon the defenses of Richmond, upon 
the south side of the city. At the same time large num- 
bers of transports were rendezvoued at City Point, os- 
tensibly for the movement of a large body of troops, 
which fact would be immediately known at General 
Lee's headquarters through their own system of spies. 

It was late in the evening of the 13th; we were or- 
dered into line with three days' rations in our haversacks 
and sixty rounds of ammunition in cartridge 1)Ox and 
pockets. Our regiment, and I think our entire brigade, 
were now armed with the Spencer Repeating Rifle; up to 
this time the whole arm\' had been using the old muzzle 
loading guns of various calil)re, the loading requiring the 
long process of tearing off the end of the paper cartridge 
with the teeth, enq)lying the ])o\vder into the barrel 
then placing the ball in the muzzle, taking the iron ram- 
rod, ramming it down, return the ramrod to its place, 
then taking a percussion cap from the box that was fas- 
tened to the belt, placing it upon the nipple of the gun, all 
of this taking much valuable time. The new Spencer rifle 
was loaded by the throwing down of a lever, wdiich threw 
out the shell of the old cartridge, and throwing the lever 

431 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



back tlie new cartridge is forced into the gun ready for 
firing", seven cartridges l)eing- in a magazine in the breech 
of the gun. The superiority of such an arm is apparent, 
and nothing couhl stand l)cf()re this tremendous fire, as it 
proved in subsequent engagements with the enemy. 

Between eleven o'clock and midnight the army was 
mo\ing across the pontoon bridge on the James River, at 

what is called Jones' 
Xeck. near Deep 
Bottom- 
On the morning 
of the r4th we 
found ourselves in 
front of the enemy's 
works and skirmish- 
ing going on at the 
front, our division 
and brigade moving" 
to the left in the di- 
rection of Chafiin's 
Bluff. Coming" out 
of the woods into 
an opening we 
could see in the dis- 
tance the enemy's 
redoubts, e x t e n cl- 
ing a few hundred 
feet along the front line. A halt was ordered and the 
men permitted to rest in the edge of the woods. 1 was 
standing beside my horse, my hand on his neck, when 
firing connnenced from the enemy's skirmishing" line, a 
bullet ])assing l)etween my horse's head and my own, too 
close, I thought. .M\- liorse scarcely moved, which was 
characteristic of him. ( )n]y an occasional shot reached 
us up to this time. 




CHAPLAIN HENRY HILL 



432 



BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

At quite a distance across the fields was a large white 
house. Soon after we came into position pufifs of smoke 
appeared at the windows, followed instantly by the zip of 
bullets. 

In the edge of the woods where the troops were 
resting, our Chaplain Hill had laid down, resting against 




PONTOON BRIDGE AT DEEP.BOTTOM 






a tree. He was in the act of running his hands through 
his hair, when a bullet apparently from the windows of 
this house struck the tree immediately over his head 
clipping off and burying a lock of his hair in the tree. 
He was not long in getting to the other side of that tree. 
Chaplain Hill was small in stature, but great in phy- 
sical and moral courage. He had been with us through 
our three years or service, doing his duty fearlessly at all 
times, in personal touch with nearly all of the individual 
members of the regiment, his influence and character do- 

433 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OP THE REBELLION 

ing much to establish and maintain the good name of the 
regiment. He held religious services whenever and where- 
ever the conditions would permit; when the ceremony of 
dress parade was possible upon Sundays he had a service 
in which he always gave the boys a good strong moral 
and religious talk, and held prayer meetings frequently, 
attended by many. His good, strong sense appealed to 
everybody, extending an influence which all chaplains did 
not have with their men. He was not rugged in health, 
but when he could, he always followed the regiment in its 
movements on the march and on to the battlefield, minis- 
tering to and caring for, so far as he was able, the sick 
and the wounded, whispering words of comfort to the dy- 
ing. He was an indefatigable, noble character, respected 
by the whole regiment. 

At this time, a battery that had been ordered up to 
take position in our front, opened fire on the house occu- 
pied by the enemy's sharpshooters, the first shell entering 
the building and exploding; there was no more firing 
from that direction. We were evidently upon the extreme 
left of our line, holding this position without advancing 
further; we could hear firing to our right, and further to 
the front. As I remember there was no general engage- 
ment brought on ihat day, although more or less firing of 
infantry and artillery both was kept up until night. 

Before night we had been moved back and further to 
the right, and upon ground that had been fought over 
early in the day. 

Just before night our regiment had been ordered to 
take a certain position in the woods, and in forming the 
line at the point indicated I was obliged to pick my way 
upon my horse Don between the bodies of the dead and 
many that lay buried and half buried. If my horse should 
make a mis-step — the thought struck me with horror — the 
animal seemed to have a conception of the conditions, and 
he picked his way carefully as we moved from point to 

434 




ON THE MARCH. 



BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

point. Holding the position for a short time only, we 
were withdrawn to the other side of the highway, and 
1)ivouaced for the night. 

Leaving my horse in charge of Tom, my colored boy. 
and after having eaten from my haversack, I laid down 
1)eside a log, completely exhausted; I found I had mis- 
taken my strength; the wound in my shoulder was yet 
unhealed and I was really unfit for the work in hand. 
There was not much sleep that night, as can be under- 
stood. Preparations were made through the night for the 
advance movement in the early morning. 

Some time in the night Gen. Hawley sent an aide to 
Colonel Plimpton, asking that I be detailed for duty upon 
his staff. The colonel found me and told me of what Gen- 
eral Hawley had asked. I told the colonel that I was in 
no condition for duty, and to thank Colonel Hawley for 
the compliment, that I preferred to stay with my regi- 
ment. 

Some time before daylight an order was received by 
Colonel Plimpton from the brigade commander to be pre- 
pared to move at daylight. An advance was to be made 
against the enemy's lines. I ordered up my horse and 
made an effort to mount, but found myself too weak to do 
so, and sat down for a moment upon the log. Colonel 
Plimpton was near, and I said to him that I was unable lo 
form the regiment. 

"Well," he says, "this is no place for a sick man. and 
\ou had better find your way to the rear." 

With help I mounted and started for the rear, along 
a road that was filled with moving troops, artillery and 
cavalry. I moved on for possibly a mile in the direction 
of the James River. Suddenly the conviction came to me 
that all my sickness was from cowardice, that I had been 
overcome by the fear of the coming battle, which we knew 
must take place, probably on that morning; a conviction 
too, that had grown upon me through the day before and 

437 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

through the night, that on the next day I should surely be 
killed in battle. 

I had been unable up to that time to throw it off, but 
now I was aroused to the situation. 

I brought my horse to a sudden stop, I wheeled him 
to the front, with a determination to return — although T 




Matt Murray's Battery. Second Day of the Battle of Deep Bottom. 

was going back to my death 1 would not be a coward. 
I put spurs to my horse, riding to the front to find my 
regiment. After perhaps an hour's absence I found it 
and reported to the colonel, saying that I was all right, 
ready for duty. 

I had partially recovered my physical strength and 
that feeling of horror of what was coming was passing 
gradually away. The movement of the whole force was 

438 



BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

to the right in the direction of Malvern Hill, the old bat- 
tle-ground of General McClellan in 1862. 

Through that day there was heavy fighting by other 
troops, but our brigade was held in reserve, much of the 
time under fire and every soldier knows this to be a more 
trying situation than when actively engaged. Late m 
the afternoon we were in open field with heavy firing 
going on in the woods in our immediate front, an occa- 
sional shell bursting over our heads. The bullets' zip 
and singing was altogether too close and frequent. I was 
sitting on my horse, in the rear of our line, as were other 
mounted officers, the firing at our front seemed to come 
nearer and nearer, the singing of the bullets more fre- 
quent and several of our boys had been hit, when through 
the thin woods at a distance we could see our men falling 
back, stopping and firing, but being pushed back. We 
were now quite sure of an order to move up to 
their support, when the noise of artillery was heard in 
our rear, and coming up on the dead run over the fields 
was a battery of three or four guns, the men lashing 
their horses, the gunners clinging to their guns and cais- 
sons, the wheels striking stones and stumps, but on they 
fly with the shouts of the drivers, the rattle of the gun 
carriages, and clanging of the sabres of the artillery-men. 
Past our right and on to the top of a hill they go into 
position, unlimbering their guns and opening fire upon 
the advancing rebel line. 

We see the effects of the shells exploding over their 
heads and in the ranks of the enemy. The rebel line is 
broken, and checked in their advance. It was a most 
thrilling experience — a yell of triumph went up along the 
whole line — the excitement is indescribable, and never 
to be forgotten. After the close of the war, in the old 
bookstore at Nashua, my brother, C. D. and myself in 
business together, we had in our employ a clerk, a young 
man who had been in the army. Matt Murray. He had 

439 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 



served in a New York battery. In fighting the battles 
over many times with stories of our war experiences, 1 
was one day describing to Matt this battle of August 
15th, telling him of the inspiration that a battery gives 
to troops when coming into action, and of that 
turn in the tide of battle by this battery coming up to the 
relief of our troops on that day. "Why," he says, "that 
was my l)attery ; I was a sergeant and directed the fire 
of one of those guns." 

Our position was 
changed by moving 
further to the right 
in the direction of 
I'lussels JMills. Dur- 
ing the day we were 
l)()sted in a belt of 
deep woods. Across 
an open field in the 
woods was the ad- 
Nance line of the en- 
emy. The colonel 
and nuelf. upon our 
lir)i-scs, in our pos- 
ition on the right. 
had occasion to 
i^o to the left of the 
line, I think it was 
preliminary to a 
movement to the 
left, which would be 
left in front ; it was 
with great difficulty that we could get through the woods 
wi4;h our horses. I said to the colonel, "I will chance it in 
the open field if you will." It was a reckless thing to do, 
but we rode out of the woods into the field, put spurs to 
our horses, in full view of the enemy's line, when they 




SERGT. MATT MURRAY. 



440 



BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

opened fire upon us. The bullets were flying, and so were 
we. I threw myself down on to the side of my horse, my 
head alongside his neck, for protection. We reached 
the end of the line and into the woods safely, but why 
neither of us were hit was a marvel, and equally marvel- 
ous that two men supposed to have ordinary judgment 
should so recklessly take such chances. No general en- 
gagement was brought on along the line in our immediate 
front that day, in which we were engaged, and at night 
we bivouaced near Flussels Mills. 

While waiting in reserve late in the afternoon occa- 
sional bullets would come into our ranks. I had kept my 
colored boy Tom along with me carrying my blankets and 
to be in readiness to take my horse if necessary. The 
firing had become quite warm at times, and Tom had 
asked me if he could "go to de rear, boss." 

I said, "No, Tom, I want you." 

"Well," he says, 'T don't like de singin' ob dem bul- 
lets and I'd like to get out ol) de way of em, mighty well," 
and Tom's black face was fairly pale with fear. 

I said, "Tom, you lie flat down on the ground witli 
your head toward the enemy and if a bullet hits I don't 
think it will hurt." 

A sickly smile was the only answer I had from Tom — 
he didn't think it was much of a joke. 

The next day upon advancing to the attack upon the 
rebel works, the woods were so dense we were obliged to 
leave our horses. I turned my horse over to Tom, and 
told him to keep somewhere near the regiment if he could. 
After the battle, upon inquiring for my horse and Tom, I 
was told that the last that was seen of them, Tom was on 
the horse and riding at breakneck speed in the direction 
of the James river. 

Late in the afternoon while standing in line General 
Grant and (ieneral Hancock with a few of their staff 
officers came riding ahmg. As T remember no demonstra- 

441 



X 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

tion was made by the troops, not many noticing the dis- 
tinguished officers. I was not far from where they passed 
and had a good view of them. Of course General Grant 
was smoking a cigar; he was on rather a small horse, and 
he himself was not large in stature, and riding alongside 
General Hancock, the contrast was very marked. General 
Hancock being a large man, and on a large horse. I 
noticed that when General Grant spoke to General Han- 
cock it was necessary for him to cock his head on one 
side and lock up, which was rather ludicrous. It was 
characteristic of General Grant to make personal ob- 
ervations of the situation and he was looking over our 
part of the line preparatory to a movement ordered for 
the next morning. We were now about six miles from 
Richmond southeast. 

That night Colonel Plimpton and myself lay beneath 
the same blankets under a tree. There was very little sleep 
— we knew that in the morning a general attack along 
the line was to be made. The colonel was in a very serious 
frame of mind. We had talked the situation over — we 
were quite sure there would be desperate fighting the fol- 
lowing day. Colonel Plimpton was an excellent officer 
and a brave man, and I had never before seen him in any 
other attitude than of courage, but he said to me "Adju- 
tant, this is my last night on earth, tomorrow we shall go 
into the fight and I shall not come out of it," I made 
light of the matter, telling him that I had passed through 
that same feeling the day before, and had gotten all over 
it, and laughed at his fears. This made no impression up- 
on him, however, and he was most serious in all that he 
said. Before daylight the troops were in line and 
moving to the front in the direction of the enemy's works. 
A halt was made, waiting the dawn of day. Dense woods 
were in our front and somewhere through the w^oods was 
the enemy's line of works. Before we moved forward, the 
colonel and myself the only mounted officers of our regi- 

442 



BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

ment, were obliged to dismount from our horses, and fol- 
low the line closely as best we could on foot. We may 
have moved a half a mile, possibly more, when our Sikir- 
mish line was met by the enemy's skirmishers, and firing- 
commenced. At this point the skirmishers rejoin their 
companies as the line moves up. Pushing on a few rods 
further we indistinctly see earth works through the woods 
and a fire is opened upon us, and at the same time a firing 
from our left from a height of land. The colonel having 
no other orders than to advance and not knowing what 
was upon his right or left in the woods, halted the line, 
instructing the men to throw up with their bayonets and 
tin plates a mound of earth for protection, which was ac- 
complished very quickly, each man having a mound of 
earth in front of him, and the whole line ordered to lie 
down. At the same time the colonel said to me, "Adju- 
tant, you go back and find General Hawley, report the 
situation to him, and ask for orders." 

Hurrying back through the woods I came to a wood 
road; looking up the road quite a distance I saw a group 
of mounted officers. I hurried on, and found it to be 
General Hawley and his staff. I reported to the general 
as instructed by Colonel Plimpton, that the enemy were in 
our front in force and also upon our left, that there were 
no troops upon our right or left. General Hawley replied. 
"Tell Colonel Plimpton to charge the enemy in front and 
do it at once. I rushed back to the regiment, the men were 
all laying down behind their temporary earth works. Col- 
onel Plimpton alone standing like a statue, pale as death. 
I gave him General Hawley's order, when he immediately 
gave the command, "Attention!" and every man was up 
on his feet. "Forward !" is the command, and the enemy 
at this instant opened a furious fire from their works. 

"Commence firing !" is the command of Colonel 
Plimpton, and as we advanced, the men poured a tremen- 
dous fire from their seven shooters, that soon silenced the 

443 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

fire of the enemy. We reach a ravine, down through the 
ravine and through an abatis we fight our way, the en- 
emy manning their works as we come against this ob- 
struction. They are again silenced by our rapid fire 
guns; on we rush, on to their works, and forcing the sur- 
render of all tliat have not been killed or retreated to the 
rear. 

Fractions of several regiments of the enemy had sur- 
rendered to us, the firing of course having ceased. Con- 
fusion for a few minutes followed, the men of both sides 
fraternizing and exchanging coffee for tobacco, etc. 
My orders from the colonel were to detail men enough 
to take charge of the prisoners and send them to the rear. 
With the help of the sergeant-major I soon had the de- 
tail in line. I noticed quite a number of the rebels run- 
ning away, and I ordered them to halt, and told them we 
would fire if they did not. A rebel captain standing near 
me joined in the demand for the men to come back, and 
most of them did so. I had taken the sword from the 
rebel captain and handed it to Lieutenant James of our 
regiment, who had been detailed to take command of the 
guard and escort the prisoners to the rear. We soon got 
the men into line with the guard on each side, and started 
them to the rear. In the meantime the colonel had re- 
formed the regiment inside of the rebel works, and had 
moved forward; I told the sergeant-major we would re- 
join the regiment. 

I remember of filling our canteens with water from 
a spring in the ravine; we then climbed over the breast- 
works, and in jumping down on the other side, it was 
with some difticulty we found a landing place between the 
bodies of the dead that lay there in the trench. Inside of 
the works was an opening with more woods to the right 
and left of us. In this opening the colonel had formed 
the regiment and advanced some two hundred or three 
hundred yards; when I reached the line the men were ly- 

444 




M. 



'[.-"ij!'^^ 



BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM. 

ing down along a rise of ground and the firing from the 
front had commenced by occasional shots; across an 
open field in the distance we could see along the line of a 
Virginia rail fence troops apparently re-forming; several 
stands of rebel colors could be seen, and from this line of 
the enemy the firing had commenced. At the same time 
the firing from infantry had commenced from the rear and 
left. The colonel says : "This fire from our rear must be 
from our own men. Take the colors over on to that rise 
of ground that they may see who they are firing upon." 
I ordered the color bearer with the color guard to follow 
me, and marched them over to the spot indicated, and told 
the color bearer to wave the colors, which he did, when 
the firing was continued with more force than ever, show- 
ing that the enemy still held the lines on our left, and had 
opened fire upon our rear. I returned with the colors 
"double-quick" to their place in line, and at that time 
firing from our front had increased, not only from the in- 
fantry, but shells from a battery were exploding. Many 
of our men had been hit and were falling, dead and 
wounded. The officers along the line were making an ef- 
fort to keep the men at work in keeping up their fire, too 
many of them still taking protection by lying down along 
a rise of ground and getting behind stumps and trees. 
The men were soon at work with their seven shooters 
bravely standing up in the face of the fire. The firing be- 
came hotter from our front and many were being killed 
and wounded; men hit with the rifle ball threw up their 
arms with a shriek or a groan, the rifles dropping from 
their grasp as they fall to the ground. A man standing 
near me, was struck with a piece of shell, and the sicken- 
ing thud as it entered his body, sent a chill of horror 
through me, such as those only who have heard can 
know — the brave color-bearer, whose name I should have, 
but have not, and who had bravely borne the colors 
through many dangers, fell dead soon after retaking his 

447 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

place in line; the flag-staff was splintered, and after the 
battle sixty holes were counted in the flag. When the 
flag went down it was seized by Corporal Hiram P. Mnr- 
l)liic. one of the color guard who bravely bore it through 
the remainder of the fight and off from the field. 

Of all the brave men in the regiment, the color- 
bearer and the color guard were naturally the most ex- 
posed to the dangers of the bullets of the enemy, the 
colors being the most prominent feature of the line, 
and upon which the fire was frequently concentrated. 

It was the post of honor — the color-sergeants and the 
six corporals of the color guard of each and every regi- 
ment were the exemplification of bravery. 

I was standing within ten paces of the colonel, im- 
mediately in the rear of the colors, when I was struck by 
what I thought must be a shell or solid shot, and with a 
sensation that nothing was left but my head. I lost my- 
self, for I know not how long. Opening my eyes in a 
dazed and benumbed condition, I found myself lying on 
the ground, with the rattle and crash of musketry, the 
explosion of shells, the singing and zip of flying bullets, 
and the shrieking of wounded men around me. but I my- 
self in a condition not to fully realize the horror of it all. 
T again lost myself, and when again opening my eyes saw 
some one standing over me. He stooped, and I could 
faintly hear something said to me. when a flask of stimu- 
lant was placed to my lips, and I drank from it with al- 
most the immediate effect of clearing my mind sufficiently 
to see bending over me General Hawley. He had follow- 
ed u]) the movement on foot and accidently found me. He 
said, "\\'here are you hurt?'' I could make no reply, for 
I did not know. ]\Iy sensibilities were benumbed by the 
shock. Then he said, "I will get \ou out of this if I can," 
and was off. The stimulant gave me courage, but the 
crash of battle was still raging, the bullets flying o\er my 
head, cutting the leaves and twigs from the bushes near; 

448 



GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY OF ENDING WAR LOST 

The sufferings of the wounded horses fohowing a 
battle was most pathetic. They would have had more 
attention but for the wounded men who must first be 
cared for. As soon as it was possible to do so, the 
wounded horse was shot, to end his misery. 

It was probably nearly noon when we proceeded 
down the river to City Point, then on down the James 
River to Wilcox Landing, upon the north side of the 
James River. Landing here, we marched into the in- 
terior, some five or six miles, until we met the advance 
guard of Sheridan's cavalry. 

The day was terribly hot and extremely dusty, and 
there was quite a little suffering of both men and horses. 
I stood the trip, however, much better than could have 
been expected. We did not meet the enemy and the cav- 
alry men said that they had had no fighting for twenty- 
four hours. Thousand after thousand of the cavalry 
passed us while we stood in line. I was sitting on my 
horse and with other officers of the regiment was watch- 
ing the passage. When on duty I had been in the habit 
of wearing gauntlets or white gloves; as it happened that 
day I had on my right hand a white glove — my left arm 
was still useless from the wound in my shoulder. The 
boys of the cavalry begrimmed from head to feet noticed 
the white glove, and many remarks and jokes were made 
at my expense as they passed. One would say, "Look at 
the boy," "O my, look at the white gloves." I did not 
feel so very green or like a raw recruit, that I was troub- 
led, and of course, took it in good part. 

The New Hampshire cavalry was with Sheridan, and 
knowing that Edwin White, the brother of the dear 
woman who later became the mother of the two girls to 
whom these reminiscences are dedicated, was with this 
cavalry, I was on the lookout for him. I finally saw the 
marking upon the horse trappings, ist N. H., and soon 
recognized in the Hospital Steward of the Regiment, Ed. 

403 



lUO^lIXISCKXCKS OK -niK WAR oK TllIO REIiKLLK )X 



safeh' crossed the ri\cr 



\\ liite. riie i"cct)i;nili(m was imilual. and the \er\' few 
iniiuUcs that we could talk as wc rode along- togetlier 
was interestins;- to both. before night the cavalrv had 

without the battle we fully 
expected and with- 
out incident we re- 
turned to our camp. 
On the evening of 
the 8th of June, a 
force was sent out 
under orders of Gen- 
eral Butler to again 
attempt the capture 
of Petersburg, Gen- 
eral Kautz's ca\-alry 
and a part of the 
loth corps under 
General Gilniore. 

co-operating. (.Gen- 
eral Kautz says : 
"The infantry was 
expected to threat- 
en Petersburg from 
the City Point road, 
while the cavalry 
made a detour to 
the Jerusalem plank 
road where the en- 
emy's lines were believed to be weak; it was agreed that 
if the cavalrv carried this line, General Gilmore was to 
assault the line in his front." 

General, (jilmore moved his command in the direc- 
tion of Petersburg, the 2nd brigade and the ^rd Xew 
Hampshire well in ad\ance, arri\ing to a distance of 
about three miles from the town and not far from the 




EDWIN D. WHITE. 
HOSPITAL STEWARD. 



404 



GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY OF ENDING WAR LOST 

City Point railroad. Here the troops were halted and 
bi\'oiiacked for the night. 

In the early morning, General Gilmore made a re- 
connoissance along the front of the enemy's lines, but 
nothing further, and here he held his command until 
three o'clock in the afternoon. In the meantime, General 
Kautz with his cavalry upon the left of the loth corps, 
made an entrance into the town of Petersburg. 

It is said of General Gilmore, that about noon on the 
8th, he and his staff took their dinner at the house of a 
woman whose husband and boys were in the rebel army, 
and from information given by this woman, he learned 
that Petersburg was defended by a large force under Gen- 
eral Beauregard and without further demonstration he 
marched his corps back to City Point. 

Here is what General Kautz says he found upon his 
advance upon Petersburg: "The line where the Jerusalem 
road entered the works was held by about two hundred 
Second Class Militia, and was easily carried by the cav- 
alry, and had General Gilmore been at hand with the in- 
fantry, Petersburg could have been taken and held at this 
time." Here, too, is the evidence from the other side: 
The rebel Brigadier General R. E. Colston, who com- 
manded the defences of Petersburg at that time, in a re- 
port of the affair of the 9th, says: "At that time the lines 
covering Petersburg on the south side of the Appomatox 
formed a semi-circle of about eight miles development, 
resting upon the river at each end, with the exception of 
a few lunettes and redoubts, commanding positions, the 
lines were barely marked out, and a horseman could drive 
over them without the least difficulty almost anywhere 
as I myself had done day after day, for weeks before the 
fight," and he further says, "On the 9th of June the lines 
were entirely stripped of regular troops, with the excep- 
tion of General Wyse's brigade on our extreme left, and 
a battery of four guns. Every other regiment had been 

405 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

ordered across the James to aid General Lee on the north 
side." 

General Colston further says, "By this time our abil- 
ity to retain the position was a question of minutes only, 
but on those few minutes hung the rescue or capture of 
the city. I knew that if we were driven in before suffi- 
cient Confederate forces recrossed the Appomatox, the 
enemy would at once arrive into the town and burn the 
bridges, after which they would have no difficulty in hold- 
ing the place, and all of General Lee's army would be un- 
able to force a recrossing. With the loss of the town 
would be lost the main lines of railway upon which our 
armies depended almost entirely for supplies." 

Is it not clear that on the 9th day of June, 1864, the 
failure of General Gilmore to follow up the movement 
of General Kautz and take possession of Petersburg was 
the greatest possible calamity? For is it not probable 
that with Petersburg in our hands and General Lee's 
supplies cut off, General Grant would have formed a 
junction of the Army of the Potomac and of the Army 
of the James, and then and there forced the surrender of 
Lee? 

Soon after this movement against Petersburg, Gen- 
eral Gilmore was relieved from the command of the loth 
corps, and never again assigned to any important com- 
mand. It was a sad ending of the military career of one 
who had before won a world-wide reputation as a military 
engineer. 

As I understand the facts of the operations of the 
Army of the James in front of Richmond and Petersburg, 
I believe it to be a very great injustice to hold General 
Butler responsible for the failure to capture Petersburg. 
Had General Butler been as fortunate in his corps com- 
manders as was General Grant, General Butler's name 
would have found a phice much higher in the hst of names 



406 




A 







\'V ^^^^ ^'^' 






GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY OF ENDING WAR LOST 

of the great generals of the war than is gi\'en it h\- the 
historian. 

The term "firing line" was not used at that time; it 
was the line of l)attle, as may be supposed, at the verv 
front; the line of battle is in two ranks, but practically 
when once under tire, the ranks would break up. Each 
man while keeping near his place, would take advantage 
of any tree of stump or uneven ground, always, however, 
under the eye of his commanding officer. 

The positions of the captains and lieutenants of each 
company were immediately in the rear of the company : 
the colonel and field officers of each regiment in the rear 
of the company's officers, the distance varying according 
to conditions, being in close touch and near enough to 
give the necessary orders; further in the rear at a con- 
venient point was the brigade commander of each brig- 
ade ; the commanders of divisions, finding a convenient 
point somewhere near, further in the rear, and some- 
where near the center of his command ; corps commanders 
establishing their headcjuarters at available points, all 
changing with the movements of the army; the com- 
manding general keeping up communication with his 
junior commanding officers by aides, known as stafT offi- 
cers, who carried the orders from the commanders. The 
headquarters of commanding generals were far from be- 
ing at a safe distance from the battle line — shells, schrap- 
nel. grape and cannister, and bullets from the enemy 
would reach over the heads of our men in front, some- 
times making havoc with the general and his staff. 

A "line of battle" sometimes covered several miles, 
and the general in command directing the movements, 
can, of course, see but a limited area, if any, of the battle- 
field and must depend upon his aides for information as 
to the condition along the line. Frequenth' in the heat 
of battle and in an emergcnc}- several aides are dis- 
patched with the same order for one or more may be 

409 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION' 

killed on the way, which was .often the case; then of 
course, where orders were not delivered, or misinforma- 
tion given to the general commanding, sometimes confu- 
sion and defeat would follow. So it can be seen how 
much depends upon the skill and judgment as well 
as the courage of the commanding officer; he must seize 
opportunities at the right moment to make the charge 
upon the enemy, or dispatch a body of the reserve troops 
to meet the attack at an unexpected point in the line, or 
to take advantage of a weak place in the line of the en- 
emy, and send an overwhelming force against this point 
to break through and force the enemy back. And all this 
in the din and crash of battle, the deafening roar of mus- 
ketry and artillery, and the sulphurous smoke of the bat- 
tle. Frequently there would be conflicting reports in the 
dispatches from the commanders along the line of the 
different divisions, all calling for a keen insight into the 
probabilities, with resolute action. 

In the campaign of 1864. from the Rapidan to the 
James, General Grant established a field telegraph line, 
which was of very great advantage in keeping up com- 
munication with his corps division and brigade command- 
ers. A Telegraph Corps was organized of men and mules. 
The wire was in coils upon large spools, the spools placed 
in the frame work not unlike a saw-horse, and this 
placed upon the back of the mule, one mule for each bri- 
gade; whenever there was a movement of the army, the 
Telegraph Corps would follow the movement some- 
where upon the fiank, and as the wire was unrolled, it was 
fastened to trees, and in the absence of trees, to poles 
that were carried along in teams provided for the purpose, 
so that within five to ten minutes after a halt, the tele- 
graph operators were at work with their instruments be- 
tween all of the various headcpiarters. 

^riie camp at Bermuda Hundred now being in the 
nature of a permanent camp the troops had been sup- 

410 



GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY OF ENDING WAR LOST 

plied with tents for the men, and wah tents for officers, 
and we had for a time more of the comforts of camp life. 
General Joseph R. Hawley, who was formerly lieuten- 
ant colonel of the 7th Conn, regiment, then commanded 
by Colonel Alfred H. Terry, was now in command of our 
brigade, General Terry being in command of the ist 




SUTLER'S TENT. 

Division of the Army of the James, our brigade being in- 
cluded in this division. 

All through the service, from the leaving home in 
1861, notwithstanding my success in the military service, 
I could not help having regret for the loss of my oppor- 
tunities for completing an education, having left the High 
school before graduating. The great experience that 

411 



REMINISCENCES OF TIIK WAR OK TlllO IMOIIKLLION 

I was lia\in,L;' did nt)l ini])rcss nic tlicn as later, that it 
was in itself a broader education than I could ha\c had 
in school or college in way of experience. I felt keenly 
the loss of my oi)|)ortunity for a more extended academic 
education and with this in view, I determined if possible 
to jL^'ct an appointment at West Point. 

In a confidential talk with Colonel Plimpton, he said 
thai he would glatlly help me in any way that he could, 
but advised me not to think of leaving the service for 
W est Point at that time. He said he would have a talk 
with General Terry, who was his personal friend, and 
later he told me the result of the interview that he had 
with General Terry. General Terry agreed with Colonel 
Plimpton in his advice that I wait until the war was over, 
and emphasized his suggestion that 1 would very much 
regret leaving- the service at that time. Tf, however, I 
was determined to do so, he thought he could get the a])- 
j)ointment for me, under a new.Vct ofCongrcss proxiding 
for the admission of young men from the armw over the 
age limit of eighteen. In my capacity as adjutant of the 
regiment I had the opportunity of carrving along text 
books with the records of the regiment ; 1 had sent home 
for these books early in the war and had used mv spare 
time in study, so that T was (|uite confident of passing 
examination for admission to West Point. 

Allot her \iew of the matter was that I should be 
deserting the colors if 1 left the serxice in the face of the 
enemy, and the more I thoiiglit of it in this light, the 
less inclined I was to resign from the service e\eii for 
admission to West Point and m\- conclusion was to ac- 
ce])l the advice of General Terry, that I would take my 
chances and wait until the end of the war. 1 did not 
ha\e long to wait before the ((uestion of m\- e\er going 
to West Point was decided l)\ f;ite. the bullets of the 
enemy placing me outside of the possibilities of ad- 
mission. 

412 



CHAPTER XXX. 




The Siege of Petersburg — "Battle of the Crater." — Camp 
) 5 at Bermuda Hundred. 

FEW days l)efore my return from leave of ab- 
sence, the Army of the Potomac had crossed the 
James River and was now in front of Petersburg; 
the crossing was on the 13th and 14th of June 

The i8th Army Corps had been attached to the 
Army of the James and our own Corps, the loth. under 
General Terry, in immediate command was holding the 
lines at Bermuda Hundred. 

General Beauregard still held his lines in our front; 
an occasional firing was kept up between our guns and 
those of the enemy, and once in a while one of their shells 
would reach our camp so that it can not be said that we 
were very comfortable night or day. 

The grounds did not permit of l^attalion drills, and 
very little, if any, drills at all, but there was plenty of 
work, however, for officers and men. The work of 
building redoubts, mounting- guns and otherwdse 
strengthening our lines was kept up, calling for details 
for this duty every day. 

Large details for guard dut\' were made to be es- 
tablished along the fortifications and whole companies 
would be detailed for picket duty, and here as 
well as in front of Petersburg', picket duty was intense, 
the lines being in close touch with each other, and the 
"touch" meantime in too many instances, that of the rifle 
ball, wdien men along the picket line became careless in 
showing themselves above the works. 

413 



ui'iMiMSci'iNcios <>i'' •nil'', WAK oh' 'I'lii'; i;|';i;|';li,i« )N 

111 soim- iiisl .iiuTs llu- liiu's wric so cI(»so tli.it 1 .ilkiii^' 
could hr lu';ii-(l from one liiu- to tlu" oIIut: in places the 
liiu's wiTc within one liimdri'd \ards of cacli other. 
i)\\c dark niL^lit in postini; a picket t;nard. one of onr 
men was posted hidiind a Iai;;\' t rei- e\i'r\ nio\-enieilt 
ol the eiu-niN Ihmiil; elosidy watched, the outer picket 




GEN. GRANT IN THE FIELD. 

posts heiiii;- in the closest possible pro\iinit\ this man 
had heen placed hehind a tree known to he \ery near 
the rehel line. Soon thi' sentinel heard a noise on the 
othef side of ilu" tree and a \ oice. "Ilnlloa. N'ank, ain't 
w I' L^ittin preltx ch>se Noii hettcf i^it and 111 Ljit," and 
hoth men did "l;ii" to trees fmther hack. 

loin, in\ colored ho\ , was a hij; tellow, and hlack as 
ink. .Soinetimes I conid lind him when he was wantcil, 
at other times he was with some of the other eok>roil 



'I'lii.; si';i(;i'; ( ti' i-iotiouskimm! 



boys, soi-\;iiils ol oIIut oiru-cTs. Iml ;is ;i niK-, lOm was a 
\c\\ i^ood l)()y. I .iskfd liini oiu- day if lu- w.mld likr lo 
Irani lo road and wiiu-. Kallicr lo iii\' asl. unsliiiicnt , lie 
l)iH-aim- iiuirli inlcMCsU'd. "( iony iiiiL;lil\, Loss. I jiisl 
would" lu- said. I lold liiin I would sond lioiiic ,iiid ^d ;i 
'""•k lor liiiii. llial he iini^lil Icani to irad, and \>\ llic \\c\{ 
mad I scnl a K'llcr lo my NioIIut in Nashua loi- a school 
|>inncr, wJiicdi lie vrry proinplU sciil lo \\\v. 

loin was dcdii^iiU'd in Ihis luwv rNpcriciUH-. In slaxc 
lilr, as is immorally known, llu-y wc-rr iiol allowi'd lo Ic.nn 
l<> lead and vvrilc. 

loMi worked hard ovi-r llio K\ssoiis I i^:\\v him in his 
|>iini( r, ;i new llioii.qhl had hi'eii horn williin him ih.il he 
i-onld learn and know, .ind hi- li^ke lliose ah(.\c him. Il 
was a new emolion, and his hraiii was slimnl.iled iiilo ,ie 
fi\il\. In his lillle A h-iil, direi-|ly in llie re.ii- (.!' iii\ ..w n, 
I ^""'iild hear him hoiii lime lo lime ;i| his slndies. In a 
loud hass \oiee in piopoii i( .11 lo his si/.e. I he.ird hiui oiu- 
day. and looking in , niiohserved, I ,s;iw him silliii- upon 
Ihe .i^Toiind, his piinier in his lap, and willi his hij^ hl.uk 

linj^cr poinliiio lo ihe lellers, he weiil oii "I". <. \, hoy 

c-a-1, eal and so on. I o.ive him pen .iiid ink, ,iiid made 
i-opies l"o|- him lo le.ni, p, wiile. Me iiiipio\c,| his lime 
••"I'l I'lli'i" <»iu- day I Iniiiid in iii\ lenl <iu Ihe l.ihle a pieec 
"'I paper upon wliitdi was scrawled, ".\ of' f,,, (,\dj.) 
"hi>w \(Mi like iiiv rile Toiii." 

I lia\i- woiuK'iH'd since I losl si.^lil of Tom, wh.il hi-- 
^•■■iiiie of him. 1 1 is possible llial diiriiii;- Ihe carpel l.ai; 
ri'ii^n in Ihe Soiilli, lu- may have heeii an acli\i- ;iiid in 
lliieiilial inemher of a slale le,i;islal lire. ,1 lime w heu I he 
iiei;roes c(»nlrolled llu- Soiilli. 

The period known ;is Ihe cupel |,,|m iciou ni ihe 
Soulh, imnu-di.ilel\ followin- llu- w;ir, was llu- resiili ,d 
llu- 15II1 .ameiidnieiil I., llu- ( onsl il ul ion, ,!;i\iii<; ihe iie- 
.i^i-oes Die h.-illol. Thion-honl llu- Soiilli, Ihe \ole of ||,(. 
ne,<;ro heinj.;- so much l.ar.i^cr Ihau llu- vole (.f llu- whiles. 

•I • 5 



RKMIXKSnOXCES OF TTTK WAR OP TIll^ REIJELLlOX 

it resulted in a lcrril)le condition of affairs, the white 
people beinj;- dominated politically ])y the negroes, who 
were their former sla\cs. They rebelled as^ainst it; or- 
ganizations of white men, known as the Kuklux Klan. 
disguised with masks, rode through the country, murder- 
ing* and terrorizing negroes who dared to vote the Re- 
])ul)lican ticket; as a matter of course, the negroes who 
had been made free Ijy a Republican President, and given 
the right to vote by a Republican Congress, to a unit, 
voted the Republican ticket, voting themselves into office, 
to the exclusion of all white men. A reign of terror fol- 
lowed; troops were sent into the South to preserve order 
and to guarantee the negro his rights under the Consti- 
tution. Thousands of men were appointed by the Gov- 
ernment from the North to governmental positions 
in the South, and in these po-sitions they were supported 
l)y the U. S. troops. These Northern men holding offices 
under the Government were known as carpet-baggers, so 
named by the people of the South, and this period is 
known as the carpet-l)ag reign. 

Every mail l)rought me more or less letters and pa- 
lmers — I seemed to have l)een more favored than many oth- 
ers, especially in the papers that T received, and my tent 
became a kind of rendezvous of the officers for news. I 
would frecjuently read the news from the papers to the 
other officers; sometimes my tent would be full, listening 
to the news of the movements of our armies, in its 
details. We kept posted in this way through the news- 
paper reporters, who were at every headquarters, in touch 
with the generals commanding, telegra])hing to their pa- 
pers continually all the news that was not strictly contra- 
band, and sometimes, news that was i)rohibited, and when 
the\' did so, tlie re])orter could considei" himself fortunate 
if he was allowed a pass to get out of the lines and es- 
ca])e the vengeance of the general commanding. 

416 



IMPORTANT RESULTS OF THE BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 



ly seized it. placed nic in it and ordered it l^ack to the 
field hospital. 

AVe had gone along the road a mile or more when 
the aml)nlance stopped, the curtains parted, and the face 
of ni}' old friend. Colonel Randlett appeared. The Col- 
onel was in command of the ])roYOst-guarcl npon the staff 

of General David 
B. Birney. It was 
i^->-' .^^^^^^Hjl^^^k ••r'**' ' ^i*'t necessary for 

Iiim to ask any 
(|nestions, and 

turning his com- 
mand over to a 
subordinate offi- 
cer, he rode back 
with me, upon 
his horse, to the 
field hospital up- 
on the banks of 
the James River. 
In this Colonel 
Randlett showed 
the same kindness 
and devotion that 
he had shown 
through our whole 
ser\ice together, 
under all circum- 
stances, true to the pledges that he had made my people 
upon my enlistment under his command at the outbreak 
of the war. It was marked in this instance from the fact 
that in leaving his command he took the chances of dis- 
obeying the orders of his commander indirectly, by leav- 
ing his command in the field. 

But Colonel Randlett was too well established in the 
confidence of General Birney for him to suffer from the 




Sijlj i««%.a»-* ^Y 



GEN. DAVID B. BIRNEY. 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

consequences of this act. His one thought was for my 
care, and to get me into the hands of his friends and my 
friends, if possible, at the hospital. 

.Arriving back near the river, they placed me tempo- 
rarily in a small tent, until Colonel Randlett could find 
the surgeon in charge, who as it happened was a personal 
friend — Dr. Dearborn — a cousin of the late Dr. Samuel 
Dearl)orn of Nashua. While lying upon the ground in the 
tent I heard voices outside discussing my case. The gen- 




GEN. BIRNEY'S HEADQUARTERS. 



eral opinion as expressed, that came to my ears, was that 
there was no possible chance for my recovery. I did 
not agree w'ith them, however, in my own convictions. 
]^undreds had been brought back and had found their 
wav from the l)attlefields. and the hospital tents were be- 
ing rapidl}' filled. 

Colonel Randlett soon returned and they took me to 
the tent, where examinations were made and amputa- 
tions performed, and placed me upon the amputating ta- 
ble. Many a poor boy had here been through the sur- 
geon's hands and their shattered arms and legs amputat- 
ed, a glance around showing the severed limbs still lying 

466 



IMPORTANT RESULTS OF THE BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

Upon the groiiiul. It was a "Chamber of Horrors." One 
of the cheerful ( ?) sights that met my eyes was several 
surgeons with their sleeves rolled up and blood upon their 
hands and arms. 

An examination of my wound was made, showing 
that the bullet had entered on the right side, shattering 
tw^o of the ribs, passing through the liver, and out near 
the back bone, completing a passage through the body — 
and this explains a little circumstance: While lying upon 
the battlefield, after being revived by the stimulants 
General Hawdey gave me, I reached for my canteen to 
get a drink of water, intense thirst invariably following in 
cases of wounds. I knew I had filled the canteen just be- 
fore coming over the works, but to my terrible disap- 
pointment there was no water; a hole had been made in 
the canteen and the water had gone out, and now it was 
evident that the ball that had passed through my body 
had also passed through the canteen that was hanging 
upon my back. 

Dr. Dearborn now took charge of me and found a 
tent and a cot where he took ofT my bloody clothes, 
cleansed the wound, and placed me between sheets on the 
cot. I remember clearly of the doctor and the nurse re- 
moving my pants and drawers that were heavy with 
blood, and throwing them down the bank into the river: 
the doctor called an attendant and placed him by the side 
of my cot, with a basin of cold water and a sponge, with 
orders to keep the wound wet, sponging it frequently. 
The heat of the day was intense, and it was of the first 
importance to keep the wound at as cool a temperature 
as possible: this was the first treatn.ient and was in gen- 
eral practice. 

As Dr. Dearborn was sitting beside mv cot, I said 
to him, "Dr. what do you think my chances are for re- 
covery?" I'he doctor hesitated. At len"-th he said: 



'b' 



467 



REMINISCENCES OP^ THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

"If nothiny^ unfavorable sets in, 1 think you have a 
chance." 

I repHed: "No matter what sets in, doctor, I am go- 
ing to get well — I'll take that chance any way."' I re- 
member clearly the conviction and determination that 
came to me that I would recover. 

Through Colonel Randlett's special efforts and the 
kind offices of Dr. Dearborn, I had the special attention 







FIELD HOSPITAL. 



of this nurse, yet my one thought was to get back to the 
hospital at Fortress Munroe into the hands oi that dear 
motherly woman, Miss Preston, where I had left but a 
few weeks before \\\{\\ the wound in the shoulder. 

The first night as I lay in the hospital tent on the 
banks of the river, I could hear the firing at the front at 
intervals and in the morning it appeared to be increased 
and coming nearer and nearer. In my imagination I 
could see our army being driven back, but before noon 
the firing had ceased, and T was told that our troops were 



liolding their lines. 



468 




Col. JAMES 



K. RAlNDLETT, U. 
RETIRED. 



S. A. 



IMPORTANT RESULTS OF THE BATTLE OF DEEP BOTTOM 

After recovering my senses and recognizing my sur- 
roundings, my first inquiry was for Don, my faithful 
horse, and for Tom. I think it was Colonel Randlett 
who told me that Tom upon arriving back from his ride 
from the battlefield at Deep Bottom had found Quarter- 
master Hynes of our regiment, and had delivered the 
horse to him. Later after hearing from my brother of 
the 9th N, H., who expressed his willingness to take the 
horse, I directed that he be sent to him. 

Boat load after boat load of the wounded were being 
taken down the James River. It was now the third day 
that I had been in this hospital waiting, frequently ask- 
ing why I was not taken aboard the steamer ; the reply 
of my nurse was unsatisfactory, and I never knew until 
long after the war why I was not sooner sent with others 
down the river. Many years after the war, my friend, 
Colonel Randlett, who had been in the regular army since 
the war, was at home on leave of absence. He visited me 
at my home on Concord street, and in talking over the 
old days of the war, he asked me if I knew why I was 
kept so long at the Field Hospital after the battle of Deep 
Bottom. I told him it was always a mystery to me. "They 
were waiting for you to die," said the Colonel, "orders 
had been issued that no fatal cases should be taken on 
board the boat, and after waiting three days, I took the 
responsibility of issuing an order to the surgeon in charge 
to put you on board the boat for Chesapeake Hospital 
at Fortress Munroe, "By order of General David B. Bir- 
ney, James F. Randlett, Aide-de-camp." 

Colonel Randlett's patriotic services to his country, 
his marked ability as a military officer and his devotion 
to his friends under all circumstances are well known to 
his companions in arms and to his superior commanders. 
His moral and physical courage was well attested in camp 
and upon many battlefields. He was severely wounded 
at the battle of Drurys-Bluff, but most fortunate in es- 

471 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

caping the fire of the enemy through the remainder of the 
war. At the close of the war he made application for a 
commission in the regular army, and upon the record of 
his distinguished services through the war was commis- 
sioned captain in the 9th U. S. Cavalry. His services in 
the west upon the plains and subsequently as Indian 
agent for the government is a record that his friends are 
proud of. Upon his merits he rose in rank through the 
various grades to that of Colonel, U. S. A., and retired 
with that rank. His home is now at La Mesa, California, 
near San Diego, enjoying the declining years of his life 
in the balmy atmosphere of that delightful climate, and 
among the orange and lemon trees of his own plantation, 
where, if this be his choice rather than to return to his 
early home in the East, may he live in happiness to a 
ripe old age. 




A NAPOLEON GUN AT WORK. 



472 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

V 

Between Life and Death at the Chesapeake Hospital. 

Rescue of General Aaron F. Stevens from the 

Battlefield by Dr. Royal B. Prescott. 



i^^ 




HAD been for three days in the hospital tent on 
the banks of the James with the fearful wound 
that was sapping my vitality hour by hour: the 
surgeons had concluded that it was not worth 
while to send me down the river to Chesapeake 
Hospital — it was useless expense of transportation. I 
thought differently, however, and Colonel Randlett hav- 
ing persuaded the surgeons in charge by a special order 
in the name of General Birney, I was put on board the 
steamer, carried upon my cot, accompanied by a nurse. 

AVe arrived at the Chesapeake Hospital on the after- 
noon of August 20th, and back into the same ward where 
I had left but a few weeks before. I was received by Miss 
Preston with evident solicitude, and was given immediate 
and special attention. 

Upon a thorough examination by the surgeon, it was 
found necessary to probe the wound to remove the for- 
eign substance from it, and without anaesthetics the steel 
probe was run into the wound six inches or more and 
pieces of cloth of my clothing and bits of the bones of my 
shattered ribs taken out. It is impossible to put in lan- 
guage that which would convey the agony from that prob- 
ing. This operation was repeated from day to day until 
the wound was free from foreign matter; I became as 
v/eak as a child, for the time being. When I saw the 

473 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

dresser approach with his instruments, I screamed with 
mental and physical agony. For the first two weeks or 
more I sank under the treatment, growing weaker from 
day to day. It w^Jis evident to those around me that it 
would be a matter of only a short time, but never for an 
instant did I lose my determination to rise above it, yet 
with all that could be done with nourishment and stimu- 
lants, the vital forces apparently were ebbing away. Day 
by day I lay watching my own condition, fully under- 
standing, I think, the situation. There seemed to come 
one day the crisis — I realized that I was on the very 
verge — things around me began to grow dim — the people 
around me — the cot across the room upon which lay a 
wounded ofificer — and all else faded gradually until I felt 
that the earth was falling away from me, and that I was in 
space, but my intellect was upon a tension — I knew that I 
must make a supreme efTort. Those I loved and far away, 
came in my imagination, for them I would live, all things 
of life then seemed so dear to me, I was determined to 
hold fast; I could, I thought, and I would, with the help 
of Almighty God, rise above it. With a clearness of mind 
and this one thought definite and fixed upon the certainty 
that I would live, I passed the crisis. I opened my eyes, 
and conditions around me were the same that I had left — 
T was lying upon the same narrow bed, the doctor and the 
nurse were sitting there by my side, and across the room 
upon a cot was my wounded brother officer. Through 
God's wonderful law of vibration I had by intense con- 
centration of thought and desire kept in touch with the 
Infinite Power, through the critical period of the low ebb- 
ing of the heart's action back to life. Call it will power, 
God power, or what you may, it was to me a marvelous 
demonstration. I then lay l^ack in a calm, peaceful con- 
sciousness of having won the \ictory over death, and that 
I could now rest in gratitude. 



474 




"The Cxii-l I Left Behind Me." 
Miss S. Eliza White— later Mrs, Elbridge J. Copp. 



RESCUE FROM THE BATTLEFIELD. 

After all these years, the memory of this marvelous 
experience is as vivid and even more vivid to me, than the 
events of more recent years. The realities and sensations 
of this experience so difficult to put into language, I 
fear I have given but a faint conception of. 

My people at home had been telegraphed that if 
they wished to see me again alive, they must come at 
once. My older brother. Rev. Henry B., and my step- 
mother, started immediately for Fortress Munroe and the 
hospital. I was glad to see them, and they, of course, 
were relieved to find me alive and in an improved condi- 
tion. Their stay with me was short — there was nothing 
they could do to add to my care and comfort, everything 
being done for me that it was possible to do. They start- 
ed on their return to New Hampshire the same day of 
their arrival. 

From day to day, and little by little, I began from that 
time on to regain my strength; the wound all the time tak- 
ing the regular course of superation, until it was said that 
there was a hole through the body, as some expressed it, 
the size of a silver dollar. This may have been an exag- 
geration, but to me it was true enough. 

A few days after this, my brother Capt. C. D., who 
had been on a leave of absence, returned, and stopped at 
the hospital to see me. When he left for the front, as he 
afterward said, he never expected to see me alive again, 
if he himself should pass through the dangers of the ac- 
tive campaign that he was facing in front of Petersburg. 

For weeks I lay upon my cot in that room at the hos- 
pital; when raised a little from the bed and could look 
out of the window, the view was not very conducive to 
cheerfulness — all that I could see was the burying ground, 
and burying parties almost constantly at work, daily fun- 
erals marched past the hospital, a dirge being played by 
the fife and drum. The music, however, was soon stopped. 
I asked Miss Preston one day if she could not change my 

477 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THF RKIIELLIOX 

room, lliat T might ha\c a more cheerful outlook. As 1 
remeuiber. she gave uic a cliiYerent location in the same 
room. 

One (lay soon after, a young officer from a New York 
regiment, who had been wounded through the wrist, was 
assigned to the room that I was in, and a cot o])posite 
my own. He was a bright, cheerful young man, and good 
compan}'. I regret that I can not rememl)er his name ; lie 
frequently sat at the side of my cot. talking and cheering 
me up. He congratulated himself, he said, when he saw 
the severe wounds of others, that his wound was so slight 
and that he would soon be able to return to his regiment; 
but suddenly one clay, he became quite sick — gangrene 
had entered the wound, and in those days medical science 
was not so able to cope with this disease, the course was 
tlien so very rapid. Why he was not taken to the isola- 
tion tents I do not know. Soon his case was pronounced 
hopeless — he wanted his father, who was a ])hysician in 
New York City — I think he told me that his mother was 
dead. His father was' telegraphed for and the next day, 
following the telegram, I saw him come into the room — a 
tine looking old gentleman with white hair, and a rehned 
face. I shall never forget the expression and exclamation 
as he entered the room and saw his son. A\'ith the ex- 
experienced eye of the physician, lie saw that death had 
seized his boy. "My God," the old gentleman exclaimed, 
then trying to master his emotions, he approached the 
bedside. Tt was all so pathetic — so i^itiful. As his father 
approached, the young Lieutenant tried to speak; he 
slowly turned to the nurse and with a great eltort gasped. 
"Give m_\' father a chair." And the\- were the last \\'or(ls 
that he spoke. 

In another ward in the hos])ital was a rebel Captain 
who the\' told me was wounded identicalh' the same as 
myself. Although we never saw each other, messages 
were sent from time to time between us. Here was a 

4/8 



RESCUE FROM THE BATTLEFIELD. 

marked illustration of the treatment of rebel soldiers in 
our hands, this officer receiving the same care and treat- 
nient in the same hospital and along side the Union sol- 
dier—in such contrast with that of our men in rebel hands- 
All possible care was taken of this officer, but one day I 
was told that he was dead, and had been buried in the 
soldiers' burying ground out back of the hospital. 

In the course of weeks, I became able to sit up, and 
I had the promise from Miss Preston that when I was 
a little stronger, she would have me taken down into her 
room, that I might have a view from her windows. The 
day finally came, and she came to my room with two 
stout men nurses, and placing me carefully in a chair, I 
was carried down one flight of stairs and into Miss Pres- 
ton's room, the windows of which looked out upon Fort- 
ress Munroe and Hampton Roads. The waters of the bay 
and the river were filled with ships at anchor, and some 
sailing by, oh so beautifully and grandly; and the beauti- 
ful landscape beyond— all gave me emotions indescribable. 
Thrills of happiness came over me— I had been away from 
the world so long, it now seemed all so beautiful, and the 
sensation came to me of having been translated to a vision 
of the Elysian fields. 

These most kind attentions from Miss Preston were 
continued from day to day, doing much to encourage and 
assist m my recovery. Delicacies and extra dishes from 
the dinmg room were sent to my room. I could see from 
Miss Preston's window one small fig tree in the yard of 
the hospital, and upon the tree I counted a dozen or so 
ripening figs, and a little later there came, with other 
good things, ripe figs, occasionally, until I thought I had 
received about the same number that I had seen\ipon the 
tree- for all this kindness and special attention I have 
ever been profoundly grateful to Miss Preston. Day by 
day I gained in strength, and about the first of Octobe'r 
T was able to move about my room, the wound commenc- 

479 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

ing to heal, and I was gradually strengthening, at length 
being able to go to the dining room with the other offi- 
cers. My recollection is that the dining room seated 
about one hundred, and it was always full, the dinner bell 
being a signal for a grand rush of the ravenously hungry 
convalescents, and those of us who were not strong 
thought our lives were in danger in the grand rush by 
this crowd of overgrown boys, who, having been on star- 
vation diet for so long, found it a difficult matter to sat- 
isfy their appetites. 

On the 28th of September was the Battle of Fort 
Harrison, north of the James River and about ten miles 
from Richmond. General Grant had ordered the i8th 
Corps, under General Ord, and the loth Corps under 
General Birney, to make an advance upon Richmond. 
The 13th N. H. Regiment, under command of 
Colonel Aaron F. Stevens, was in General Burnham's 
Brigade of the 18th Corps. An effort was made to sur- 
prise the enemy by a very early attack on the morning of 
the 28th, but the enemy were on the alert and in their 
works when the assault was made. General Burnham's 
Brigade leading the assault. They were met with a tre- 
mendous fire from the enemy, but drove them back, cap- 
turing Fort Harrison. General Burnhani was shot 
through the heart and killed instantly; the command of 
the brigade was then assumed by Colonel Stevens, the 
senior colonel, and before reaching the works, very soon 
after taking comniand of the brigade, he, too, was shot 
and fell, the ball entering his hip. He had hardly fallen 
when Dr. Royal B. Prescott, then hospital steward of the 
regiment, found him lying helpless. He asked the colonel 
if he was badly hurt, the colonel replying that he did 
not know, he was sure that one of his boots was full of 
blood, and that he felt very faint, and asked l^r. Prescott 
to get him ofif the field if it were possible \.o do so. Al- 
though the fort in our immediate front was in possession 

480 



RESCUE FROM THE BATTLEFIELD 

of our troops, the firing was still going on upon another 
part of the line, and the zipping and ping of the bullets 
were yet all too close. The doctor assured the colonel that 
he would do everything in his power to get him off the 
field. Dr. Prescott himself was taking chances in follow- 
ing the line of battle so closely that he need not have 
taken as hospital steward, this act of heroism being charac- 
teristic of the doctor, and was recognized by his superior 
officers ; soon after he was commissioned as lieutenant. 
The doctor in telling the story says that he ran back for 
about three-quarters of a mile to where the Hospital 
Corps was established and the ambulances in waiting; the 
first ambulance he found in charge of a man by the 
name of Putnam of the 13th Regiment, and known to 
the doctor. He told him he wanted him to drive his am- 
bulance to the front and get Colonel Stevens, who was ly- 
ing on the field badly wounded. Putnam replied that 
he had no authority to do so, but if he could find the 
lieutenant who was in charge he perhaps could get per- 
mission. The doctor rushed up and down through the 
woods trying to find the lieutenant, but failed to do so; 
returning he found the ambulance he had left, without a 
driver; jumping on the seat, he took the reins, started to 
the front, and seizing- the whip gave the horse a sharp 
cut, and over the road he flew, on to a field that was full 
of stumps where he was obliged to go slowly, and look- 
ing back, the driver was coming on the run after him. 
Soon overtaking the ambulance, he jumped in behind, 
telling the doctor that he would take the reins, which 
he proceeded to do, and would have turned back, but the 
doctor protested vehemently that they should go on and 
rescue the colonel, finally persuading Putnam to do so, 
assuring him that he would take all responsibilitv and on 
they moved over the field, narrowl}' escaping an upset 
by the stumps and stones; reaching the colonel at length, 
they wheeled about. Two bullets had already passed 

481 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OP THE REBELT.ION 



through the canvas of the ambulance, and more were com- 
ing". They hastily placed the Colonel in the ambulance 
and started for the rear, when they heard a voice crying, 
"Hold on witli that ambulance." Looking back, four 
men were coming with a wounded or dead officer. They 
halted and waited tlieir approach. It proved to be the 

body of General 
Burnham, the l)ri- 
g a (1 e commander, 
who had been killed 
in the charge. They 
placed the body of 
the g'eneral in the 
ambulance wath Col- 
onel Stevens, and 
back four miles they 
rode side by side to 
the James River, 
where they were put 
on board the steamer 
Fortress M u n r o e, 
and the Colonel ta- 
ken to the Chesa- 
peake Hospital. 

Hospital Steward 
Prescott's soldierly 
qualities and bravery 
under fire won for him 
promotion; he was 
commissioned Second Lieutenant in October, 1864, and 
later promoted to First Lieutenant and much of the time 
in command of his company. In the closing' days of the 
war, the 13th Regiment was immediately in front of Rich- 
mond, and on the day of the surrender. Lieutenant Pres- 
cott was in command of the picket line in front of the 
defences of Richmond and was in command of the ad- 

482 




X-?:^ 



LIEUT. ROYAL B. PRESCOTT. 



RESCUE FROM THE BATTLEFIELD. 

vance skirmish line, that were the first Union troops that 
entered the city. 

Miss Preston told me of the arrival of Colonel 
Stevens, and that he was in the ward next below. The 
next day I called upon the Colonel. I found him in bed 
and quite weak from loss of blood. His wound, the doc- 




PAULINE CUSHMAN. 
NOTED UNION SCOUT AND SPY. 

tor told me, was severe but not dangerous, but I learned 
that any wound was dangerous — that insidious disease, 
gangrene, had made victims of many with wounds less 
severe. He was in good spirits and hopeful. I 
asked if there was anything I could do for him, and he 
said yes, that I was the very one who could do him a 

483 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

great favor by writing some letters, and tliis I was glad 
to do. 

I visited the Colonel daily, sometimes several times 
a day, and here under conditions that brought us to- 
gether, both rescued from battlefields where we were 
mutually doing our part to uphold the flag of our coun- 
try, and in our companionship here in Chesapeake Hos- 
pital recovering from our wounds, a friendship was 
formed that was life lasting. 

For distinguished bravery and ability as a military 
leader, Colonel Stevens was made brigadier-general by 
Brevet. General Stevens was New Hampshire's repre- 
sentative soldier. General John G. Foster was the 
greater in rank ; a soldier by profession, and had held a 
higher command, but he had gone out from Ne\v Hamp- 
shire in his youth and had been in no way identified with 
our state, except by family ties, while General Stevens 
had given his whole life to the state and in faithful ser- 
vice to his city. Therefore, it is not any disparagement 
to General Foster to name General Aaron F. Stevens as 
New Hampshire's representative soldier. 

General Stevens' beloved wife, in response to a tel- 
egram, hastened from her home in New Hampshire to 
his bedside at the hospital. They had been married at the 
very outbreak of the war, and had spent their honey- 
moon as companions in arms, in the service of the state 
and country in the first regiment that went to the front 
from New Hampshire, and of which he was Lieutenant- 
Colonel, she doing the heroic work among the verv first 
of the volunteer nurses that went into the field. I had 
not known her before the war, and here in the hospital, 
in the general's sick room, I met her, a bright and beau- 
tiful young woman, but two or three years out of her 
teens. General Stevens was most fortunate in having for 
a life companion so noble and beautiful a woman. Mrs. 
Stevens remained at the hospital until some time in Oc- 

484 



RESCUE FROM THE BATTLEFIELD. 



tober when the General had so far recovered his strength 
that they left for New Hampshire, 

I remained at the hospital, slowly gaining my 
strength. In the first davs of October, I was able to go 

about with the 
help of a cane, 
and out into the 
free air of Heaven 
and day by day 
breathe in new 
life and strength. 
There was a lit- 
tle car upon a 
narrow gauge 
track, drawn by a 
mule, running 
from Chesapeake 
Hospital to Fort- 
ress Munroe, and 
for recreation and 
pleasure I took 
frequent rides in 
this car and 
would stop at the 
post-office at the 
fort from time to 
time and chat 
with Cale French, 
a former Nashua boy and chief clerk of the office. 

I took this opportunity, too, to visit the famous old 
fortress which stands guard over the entrance to the 
James River, York River and Chesapeake bay — Fortress 
Munroe — at that time so formidable, but under the fire of 
modern guns would easily crumble into dust; the privi- 
leges of a commisioned officer permitting me to go and 
come at pleasure, I made these frequent visits. 

485 




GEN. AARON F. STEVENS. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



The Third Regiment in the Operations in Front of 
Petersburo; and Richmond — Battle of Fort Fisher. 




'OLLOWING the battle of Deep Bottom, our 
troops, the 2nd, loth and i8th Corps held the 
Hnes without further aggressive mo\^ement, un- 
til the morning of the 20th of August, when they 
recrossed the James River upon the same pontoon bridge 
that we had crossed over on the night of the 13th. 




WHAT WAS DEY FITIN 'BOUT? 



While not writing a history of the 3rd New Hamp- 
shire Regiment, specifically. I must assume that the 
leaders of my Reminiscences will be interested in the 
record of this regiment through its last year of service 
and final muster out. 

Now what I have to say of the fortunes of my old 
regiment and of my brother officers and men, I shall put 
upon record from information gi\en uie b}' others. 

487 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

Upon the death of Colonel Plimpton at Deep Bot- 
tom, the command of the regMment fell to Captain \\'ads- 
worth, the senior officer ])resent who led it from the 
field. Upon the very day of the battle. Captain Henry 
S. Dow, who had been on a leave of absence, returned, 
and being- the senior officer in rank, relieved Captain 
W'adsworth in the command of the regiment, Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel John Bedel still being a prisoner of war and 
Colonel James F. Randlett. then upon the stafif of Gen- 
eral Birney. 

Upon the recrossing of the 2nd. loth and i8 Corps 
to the south side of the James River, the loth Corps 
was ordered to Bermuda Hundred, and the 3rd New 
Hampshire was again in its old camp on the right of the 
line near James River. The three years men had but a 
few days more before the day of the muster out, when 
an order was recei\ed for the regiment to proceed to 
Petersl)urg where the duty would be in the trenches in 
close touch with the enemy, and practically under fire, 
protected by the earthworks from the shot and shell that 
Avere daily reaching our lines from the enemv's guns. 
This order was received with something little less than 
consternation among the men who expected to leave so 
soon for their homes. Hiis \\as averted howexer. the 
order not being carried into eff'ect until after the depart- 
ure of the men discharged. 

On the 23rd of August, the three years men were 
mustered out and this means that complete rolls were 
prepared in triplicate of the names of the ofhcers and 
men of the different companies whose terms had expired, 
one for the mustering officer who is a regular U. S. A. 
officer, (^ne to be retained with the records of the regi- 
ment, and one for the Adjutant-General of the State of 
New Iiani])sliire, and for each man a formal discharge 
])aper was prepared and signed by the Colonel of the 
regiment. 

4SS 



BATTLE OF FORT FISHER. 

On the night before the departure of the men for 
New Hampshire, they were formed in line, marched to 
the quarters of the regimental Quartermaster, and de- 
livered to him the arms and equipments and the shelter 
tents. 

On the evening of the 23rd, the regiment was hon- 
ored by a visit from Generals Terry and Hawley with 
their full stafif, escorted by the 7th Connecticut Regi- 
ment, of which General Terry was its original Colonel, 
the band of the 7th Connecticut furnishing the music. 
The evening was spent in speech making by the two 
generals, and a general jollification, the only instance in 
my recollection of the letting down of the strict barriers 
of discipline between the generals commanding and the 
men of their commands by anything approaching fa- 
miliarity. General Terry and General Hawley both paid 
the highest tribute to the el^ciency and valor of our reg- 
iment — they both had shown their confidence in the 3rd 
N. H. in several insances, where in the face of the enemy 
in emergencies, it called for a regiment that would meet 
the fire of the enemy without flinching, and in each in- 
stance did the 3rd N. H. respond and stand as a wall of 
fire, stemming the tide of battle. 

On the morning of the 24th, the three years men 
under command of Captain R. W. Houghton,, left the 
camp for New Hampshire, amid the hurrahs and good- 
byes from those who were left behind. 

On the day of the departure of the three years men 
the regiment marched to Petersburg, crossing the Ap- 
pomatox on the pontoon at point of rocks. 

On the 27tli, Colonel Randlett at his own request. 
was relieved from staff duty with General Terry, and 
returned to his regiment and assumed command. The 
three or four weeks that the regiment was in front of 
Petersburg was one of harassing duty incident to siege 
operations in the trenches without the comforts of a 

489 



RKMIXISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

camp, continually exposed to the daily and nightly firing 
from the enemy. 

llie regiment took part in the movement on the 
last of September of the loth and i8th Corps on the 
north side of the James River, restdting in the battles of 
Chapins' Farm and Fort Harrison of which I have 
already written. 

On the 27th and 28th of September, in the move- 
ment upon the Darby town road, near Richmond, the 
regiment was gallantly led by Colonel Randlett through 
several sharp engagements, but fortunately meeting with 
slight losses. The lines now established by our forces 
on the north side of the James River were permanently 
held, although not without several sharp engagements 
and severe losses. On the morning of the 7th of Octo- 
ber the enemy surprised our men and stampeded General 
Kautz's cavalry which was upon the right, General 
Kautz losing all of his artillery and many men; for a 
time it looked like a panic along the whole line, but our 
men rallied and checked their advance and drove them 
back; here again the efficiency of the repeating rifle 
showed great work, mowing down the enemy like grain 
before the scythe; the enemy called this gun "them cof- 
fee mills." 

Information was received by General Butler about 
this time that Union prisoners were being forced to 
work in the rebel intrenchments, a flagrant violation of 
the rules of war, but the rules of war had very little rec- 
ognition by the rebel authorities. General Butler im- 
mediately communicated with the commanding general of 
the forces in our front stating that for every Union 
prisoner put to work in the trenches, two of their own 
men would be compelled to do fatigue duty upon our 
own works. 

At this time General lUitler was digging the Dutch 
Ciap Canal and in retaliation put a large number or rebel 

490 



BATTLE OP FORT FISHER. 

prisoners at work .sho\elling in the canal. This very 
quickly stopped the practice of subjecting Union prisoners 
to the fire of our own men. The Dutch Gap Canal was 
a cut-ofif in the James River at Bermuda Hundred at a 
turn in the river, saving a distance of more than seven 
miles. By a bend in the river at this point, the distance 
between was only about 425 feet. It was General But- 
ler's enterprise, and was carried through to success so 
far as the canal was concerned, but was never used as 
contemplated by General Butler for the passage of our 
naval vessels up the river to Richmond, yet it is true that 
of all the works constructed during the war upon the 
various rivers within the operation of our armies, this is 
the only work that since the war has been put into 
practical use, the Dutch Gap Canal now being used reg- 
ularly by steamers and all vessels between Richmond 
and Fortress Munroe. Dutch Gap was at a point upon 
the right of the Federal line of intrenchments at Ber- 
muda Hundred, the camp of the 3rd N. H. Regiment be- 
ing upon the extreme right and the progress of the 
canal was watched from day to day by our boys with 
much interest. Nearly all of the digging was done by 
the negro troops. 

The November elections were approaching and all 
was excitement. From information received in Wash- 
ington, it was believed that in New York City there 
would be riots on election day at the polls, and that 
there were secret armed organizations that would resist 
and over-awe the officers at the polls, and prevent an 
honest election. General B. F. Butler was summoned to 
Washington by the Secretary of War, and was by him 
ordered to proceed to New York City and with troops 
enough to preserve the peace at all hazards. Three thou- 
sand men and a battery of twelve pieces of artillery were 
ordered from the Army of the James to proceed to New 



493 



RF..MIXISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

York. In the meantime General Bntler established his 
hea(l(|uarters at the Hoffman House. 

Among the troops ordered to New York was the 3rd 
New Hampshire. On the evening of the 3rd of Novem- 
ber, they embarked on board the steamer Thomas 
Powell; arriving at Fortress ^Munroe about 3 P. M., 
thence to Norfolk they were transferred to the steamer 
United States, a large sea-going vessel. On the same 
steamer were the /tli New Hampshire, 7th Connecticut 
and 13th Indiana regiments. Left Norfolk at daylight on 
the 5th, and arrived at New York Harbor about noon 
the following day. Other troops had arrived, and under 
orders of General Butler, were all transferred to numer- 
ous ferry boats, with infantry and artillery upon each 
boat, with horses harnessed and attached to the gun 
carriages and caissons, ready for immediate movement. 
These boats were stationed at the different ferry slips on 
each side of the city, and prepared to move to any point 
in the city, in the shortest posible time, the commanding 
ofhcer of each detachment being placed in communication 
with General Butler's headquarters by telegraph 

As soon as it was known that General Butler was 
in the city in command of the Union troops, his life was 
threatened by numerous letters from rebel sympathizers 
— New York being a perfect hotbed of the friends of the 
South, the Copperhead newspapers also joining in de- 
nouncing him. This did not feaze General Butler, and he 
caused it to be announced that he should attend ^^'al- 
lack's theatre one evening, where he appeared in full 
dress uniform with his full staff* — occup\'ing one of the 
boxes. He also appeared upon Broadway with his staff' 
mounted upon their horses. 

General Butler's great executive abilitv had proved 
e(|ual to the situation; he had here as in New Orleans a 
complete mastery of New York City, and readv for anv 
emergency. This preparation was, of course, known to 

494 



BATTLE OF FORT FISHER. 



every one in the city, and as is freqnentl\' true, the num- 
ber of the troops was largely overestimated, the people 
believing that a force of from fifteen to twenty thousand 
troops were ready for action. The election passed ofiL" 
without incident. The following day the Secretary of 
War received a telegram from Genral Grant as follows: 

"The elections have passed ofT quietly; no blood 
shed or riot throughout the land; is a victory worth 
more to the country than a battle won. Rebeldom and 
Europe will construe it so." 

The next service of the 3rd N. H. Regiment of im- 
portance was the movement against Fort Fisher, one of 
the defenses of Wilmington, N. C, and its capture by the 
army under General Alfred H. Terry and the navy un- 
der con.imand of Admiral Porter, after one of the most 
terrific engagements of the war. 

Fort Fisher was the most important of the several 
forts at the entrance of Cape Fear River, defending 
Wilmington. It was here in the capture of Fort Fisher 
and the occupation at A\'ilmington that General Terry 
won his honors in the promotion to brigadier-general of 
the regular army and major-general of volunteers. It 
Avas here in the terrible fighting upon the ramparts of 
the fort and the hand to hand fighting from traverse to 
traverse that the boys of the 3rd, 4th and 7th New 
Hampshire won additional glories that had followed 
New Hampshire's soldiers throughout the war. It was 
here that Colonel Joe C. Abbott of the 7th at the head 
of his brigade, distinguished himself. It was here upon 
the slopes of the enemy's fort that the brave Colonel 
Bedel of the 4th N. H. met his death. I was proud of 
my old regiment in its heroic work on that day; it was 
led by Major, (then Captain) Trickey, of whose heroism 
throug'h the whole war I cannot say enough. The name 
of every man of the regiment deserves mention for his 
gallantry on that day. 

495 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OP^ THE REBELLION 

One of tlie youngest officers in the regiment, who 
had steadily advanced through all the grades from a 
private up to that of captain, showing through all of the 
three years' service of the regiment heroic qualities that 
had won for him this recognition, who here on the slopes 
of the enemy's works especially distinguished himself by 
his courage and hauled down the rebel flag that was frying 
over the fort, was Captain J. Homer Edgerly, and for his 
distinguished services, specifically at Fort Fisher, was 
made Brevet-Major, U. S. V. Major Edgerly was with 
his regiment through to the end of the war. sustaining 
and enhancing his reputation as one of the 3rd New 
Hampshire's most distinguished and popular of^cers. 

Following the capture of Fort Fisher, the other forts 
in the river were reduced, and the City of Wilmington 
occupied by our troops. In Fort Fisher, after its cap- 
ture, was found a mark of the distinguished considera- 
tion that the English people had for the so-called Con- 
federacy, an elegantly mounted large Armstrong gun, a 
gift of the merchants of London, the carriage being of 
solid rosewood and mahogany. 

There were two officers in a New Hampshire regi- 
ment — I will not name them — a Colonel in command of 
his regiment and the Major of the regiment. They were 
strong personal friends; the regiment was on duty at the 
front one day and resting. Coffee had been prepared ; 
the Colonel and the Major were sitting together upon the 
ground and about to drir.k their coffee, when a sudden 
firing was opened by the enemy, the rifle balls rattling 
upon the rail fence near by, and zipping about their heads. 
The Colonel jumped to his feet, threw his cup of un- 
tasted coffee from him, but the Major cooly commenced 
to drink his cup,, and said to the Colonel, "Ain't you get- 
ting excited. Colonel ?" 

"Yes, yoit damned fool. T am, and you would be if 

496 




BATTLE OF FORT FISHER. 
CAPT. EDGERLY HAULING DOWN THE REBEL FLAG. 



BATTLE OF FORT FISHER. 

you knew enough to have any conception of the situa- 
tion/' was the Colonel's vigorous reply. 

■ In writing these "Reminiscences," m}^ recollections 
have been more of the serious phase of the soldier's life, 
but there was the other side in which there was much 
pleasure, and, at times, genuine sport among the boys in 
camp. The optimistic side of the character of a large 
majority of our soldiers came to the surface and was the 
uplifting force with a genuine spirit of patriotism that 
carried men through so much hardship and danger. 

I regret that I have not been able to recall more of 
the stories that were told around the camp-fire, and the 
genuine wit that enlivened the camp circle. 

T had been retired from active service by my wounds, 
and had returned to my home in Nashua late in October, 
1864. It vvas in the old bookstore at the corner of Water 
Street, vvhere T had been given charge of the business by 
my brother, Capt. C. D.. that day after day, I followed 
the ]:»rogress of the war, and the fortunes of my own old 
regiment particularly, throug'h the newspapers and let- 
ters from my comrades who were still facing the enemy. 

In my mail came one day the following letter from 
Major Trickey: 

In the field near Wilmington, North Carolina, 

March i. 1865. 
My Dear Adjutant: 

The old 3rd is keeping up its reputation and I know 
you will be glad to know of our movements. Colonel 
Randlett arrived with the balance of the regiment from 
Laurel Hill before the forward movement on ^^'ilmington 
began. The enemy was forced from one line of their 
works to another, until the city surrendered on the 22nd — 
AA'ashington's birthday. 

We marched through the town, and on. after the re- 
treating foe, the old 3rd on the skirmish line. About 
three niiles out, we came to Smith's Creek, a branch of 

■499 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

the Cape Fear River. 'J'he bridge spanning- the creek was 
found partiall}' destroyed and on fire, the enemy disput- 
ing its passage by \'igorous fire from their infantry on the 
banks of the river. 

While Colonel Randlett was riding back for a bat- 
tery to shell them out of their position, fearing it might 
be too late to save the bridge, it occurred to us that the 
fire might be extinguished. We therefore rushed upon 
it, crossing on the stringers and the few planks left and 
induced its defenders to hurriedh' retire. By dipping- 
water with cups, canteens and caps, the flames were put 
out, allowing the main force to cross with little, if any, 
delay. Captain Donley, commanding Co. D, was among 
the first, if not the very first, man across the bridge. Col- 
onel Randlett says his heart stood still as he arrived with 
a light battery, and gave directions about firing, when 
just before the fatal moment, he discovered, not the gray- 
backs we left across the stream, but the boys in blue, his 
ow^n beloved men. Our brave old Colonel has said in 
later years that this piece of work helped to his advance 
in the regular service. 

A running fire of some six miles further brought us 
to the north-east branch of the Cape Fear River. Hie 
railroad bridge having been burned, and the enemy's pon- 
toon swung down the river, further pursuit was of course 
impossible. A slight breast-work was thrown up, a rail 
fence helping in the matter, precautions taken for the 
night, when fires were lighted, giving a prospect of hot 
coffee, the first for the day. But just as the aroma of that 
beverage, to the soldier so indispensable seemed most 
tempting, we were startled to our feet by a volley of bul- 
lets into our midst, such as it seemed to us we had never 
heard, their rattle against the pine rails increasing the 
din, we supposed the enemy had recrossed the river, and 
that we were surrounded. But seizing our arms and rush- 
ing to the river's bank, we found our pickets calm and un- 

500 




MAJ. WILLIAM H. TRICKEY IN 1910. 



BATTLE OP FORT FISHER. 

molested. The firing proved to be a farewell shot from 
across the river as the enemy began his retreat for Golds- 
borough. 

And now, my friend, I have something personal. You 
know, or you may not know, that there is a vacancy in 
the regiment in the field office of Major, Colonel Bedel 
having been commissioned as Colonel and ]\Iajor Rand- 
lett promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. This position nat- 
urally comes to me as senior Captain. We are all anx- 
ious to have you return to the regiment. If you are able 
to do so, or will be soon, I want you to come and take 
this position, which you are justly entitled to. Now do 
not say no — we all want to see you back again. Let me 
hear from you as to the prospects, and believe me 

Sincerely your friend, 

WILLIAM H. TRICKEY. 

This letter is characteristic of one of the bravest and 
noblest of New Hampshire's soldiers. His account of the 
fight at the bridge is too modestly written. Here, as I 
afterward learned, it was Major Trickey himself who led 
a charge across this bridge before the fire had been put 
out, under quite a hot fire from the rebel infantry on the 
opposite bank. This was only one of many instances of 
Major Trickey's coolness and bravery in the face of the 
enemy. Strangely enough he had served through the 
dangers of three years of war, time after time under fire 
of the shot and shell and the bullets of the enemy and he 
had not received a wound. On the third of September, 
in front of Petersburg, he was wounded in the left should- 
er and taken to the Chesapeake Hospital; while there he 
was a frequent caller upon me in my sick room. Before 
his wound was fairly healed he was back again with his 
regiment. On the 27th of October in the engagement in 
front of Richmond on the Darbytown road, he was struck 
in the side by a piece of a shell, making painful contusions 
though not a serious wound. On the i()th of January, 

503 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

1865, in the Rattle of Half Moon, near Wilmington, 
North Carolina, he was struck in the hand by a rifle ball, 
severing one of his fingers. In the city of Wilmington, 
after its capture, Colonel Randlett was provost marshal 
and the city was kept in subjection under martial law. 
l)y military force. Major Trickey was sent one day with 
a detachment to quell a disturbance, when he was shot 
through the left thigh. Of all the wounds he had re- 
ceived, the last proved the most troublesome. 

Major Trickey's ofTer to release to me the position 
to which he was justly entitled by his distinguished serv- 
ices is a marked instance of his characteristic unselfish- 
ness and nobility of character, and was an extraordinary 
act of true friendship, which I have always prized as 
something beyond the ordinary. 

As my strength and health increased so did my de- 
sire to return to my regiment to see the War through to 
the end, and T had fully determined that if the War con- 
tinued, as soon as my strength permitted, I would return 
to the army in some capacity. 




Skirmishers in Touch With the Enemy. 



504 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



SURRENDER OF LEE AND THE END OF 
THE WAR. 

Grand Review of the Armies In Washington. 

^r was now in the first days of April, 1865. 
Nearly four years since the firing upon Suni- 
• '""' ter, and the A\'ar was still waging. I had so far 
recovered from my wounds as to believe that I 
could return to the field, and see the War through to the 
end. I had made application direct to the War Depart- 
ment for a commission in General Hancock's Veteran 
Reserve Corps, feeling sure that failing in my ability to 
go into active operations, I could at least do duty in the 
Reserve Corps for the time being. On the 8th day of 
April I received from Colonel Randlett, commanding my 
old regiment, a very cordial letter saying that they would 
all welcome me back to the 3rd regiment, adding that he 
had seen General Terry in my interest and that the gen- 
eral had told him that he would appoint me to a position 
upon his staff if I would accept. By the same 

mail I received a connnission as adjutant in the Veteran 
Reserve Corps, with an order to report at once to Gen- 
eral Hancock in Washington. Here I had three proposi- 
tions — to return to my regiment for active duty as Ma- 
jor of the regiment, if I decided to accept Major Trick- 
ey's most generous offer, which I was as yet not quite 
ready to do, or to accept the position on General Terry's 
staff, or to report to General Hancock in Washingtou 
for duty as adjutant in the Veteran Reserve Corps. Either 

505 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

of the first two positions would l)e a severe test upon my 
physical condition. In the Veteran Reserve Corps the 
duties would he chieliy routine camp duties or office du- 
ties, and decidedly less satisfactory. Dr. George Gray, 
my physician, had rci)catcdly told me that he should pro- 
test against my going hack in any capacity, that I was 
completely disabled from any further duty in the army. 

While considering as to the best thing to do, the 
news of the surrender of Lee came and decided me in my 
course. I did not care to re-enter the service in any ca- 
pacity if the war was over. It was on the afternoon of 
the 9th of April that the news of the surrender was flash- 
ed over the country, and I was the first to receive the 
news in Nashua. I was in the old bookstore and re- 
ceived a telegram from the office of the Boston Daily 
Journal in Boston, stating that Lee had surrendered, 
asking me to state the number of extra papers that should 
be sent, this being the practice of the newspapers of that 
day in supplying their agencies, when any extraordinary 
news was received. I was sure that I was as yet the 
only one in Nashua wdio had information of this tre- 
mendous event. I was intensely excited, but did not an- 
nounce the news at once. Like a flash it came to me 
that I had secreted in that store a small cannon that I 
had used in Fourth of July celebrations before the war. 
I found it under the counter, it was some 14 inches in 
length and as a boy I used to call it a "ringer."' I was 
not long in getting it out, and as good fortune would 
have it, I had left with it some powder, a small quantity, 
but sufficient for the purpose. I loaded the gun to the 
muzzle, ])ounding it down with rann-od and hammer, 
people around me inquiring what 1 was doing; but say- 
ing not a word, I took the cannon out on Main Street in 
front of the store, then heated the stove poker red hot. 
and touched off^ the cannon. The explosion was tre- 
mendous for the size of the gun, breaking in the glass of 

506 




LEE SURRENDERED TO GENERAL GRAK 




-Tt+e- SURRENDER OF GENERAl. LEE. 



SURRENDER OF LEE AND END OF THE WAR 

the whole front of the store, creating great excitement. 
At the top of my voice I shouted, "Lee has surrendered ! 
"Lee has surrendered !" and again I loaded the cannon 
and banged away, and again shouting, "Lee has surren- 
dered !" the crowd gathering all the time, so that soon 
there was a dense mob in front of the store, filling the 
street; then the cry was taken up by the crowTl — "Lee 
has surrendered !" and up and down the street and 
through the town the cry was, "Lee has surrendered! 
Lee has surrendered!" and this was the way the news of 
the surrender of Lee came to Nashua, and the War was 
really over. 

A great sigh of relief went up from the people of the 
whole country. Four long years of bloody and devas- 
tating war was at an end, and thanksgivings went up from 
the hearts of all. Special meetings and services in all the 
churches throughout the land were thronged with people 
giving praise to Almighty God that the end had come, 
and the joy of fathers and mothers, wives and children, 
thinking and talking of the home coming of those who 
had fought the battles of the War and survived was an 
experience never before known. 

Every city, town and hamlet throughout the country 
was in mourning for those whose lives had been sacri- 
ficed in the great struggle, but the end had come at last, 
the country was saved from the hands of traitors who 
would destroy it, and peace would reign. 

The closing scene of the great drama of War was at 
Appomatox. where Lee with his army had been driven 
to the last extremity. General Grant with the Army of 
the Potomac and the Army of the James forced the sur- 
render of Petersburg and of Richmond, and had encircled 
the demoralized army of General Lee. and crushed 
the last show of resistance from the Army of Northern 
A^irginia under its greatest of generals. Robert E. Lee. 



509 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

In a little one and one-half story honse at Appo- 
matox. the two great leaders, Grant and Lee, with se\- 
eral of their leading generals, met in the afternoon of the 
9th of April; General Lee in full dress uniform, en- 
tirely ne\v, wearing an elegant and exj^ensive sword and 
sash. General Grant in the uniform of a private, with a 
small strap of a lieutenant-general upon his shoulder. As 
they met they shook hands and took seats at a table: the 
conversation was at first personal and agreeable, they 
had both been in the old army, but had not been associ- 
ates, General Lee being 16 years older and holding a 
much higher rank than Grant in those days. After cjuite 
a lengthy conversation, General Lee called General 
Grant's attention to the object of the meeting, saying 
that he had asked General Grant for the interview for 
the j)urpose of getting terms of surrender, and suggested 
that it be put in writing; General Grant then called his 
staff secretary, General Parker, who furnished General 
Grant writing material. The terms of the surrender 
were then written out by General Grant i)ersonally, which 
were in effect that the officers and men of General Lee's 
army were to give their individual paroles. ne\er again to 
take up arms against the United States, and all arms and 
war material except the private property of the officers 
to be turned over, and then they could dei:)art for their 
homes. General Lee was visibly affected b}' the liberal 
terms given by General Grant, and further, when General 
Lee asked General Grant if this permit to take their pri- 
vate property extended to the men in the ranks, most of 
whom General Lee said owned their horses and mules. 
General Grant further said that he understood most of 
the men in the ranks must l)e small farmers, and \\ithout 
their horses and mules it would be difficult for them to 
work their farms; he should therefore add this permit to 
the terms of the surrender. Of the details of this, one of 



510 



SURRENDER OF LEE AND END OF THE WAR 

the greatest of events, I need say no more — it is familiar 
to all readers of history. ■ 

The 3rd N. H. regiment did not share in the glory 
of the final movements of the army that forced the sur- 
render of Lee. The regiment was now stationed at Golds- 
borough, North Carolina, and here it remained until its 
final muster out of the service at this point on the 20th 
day of July, 1865. 

Sherman's army had marched from ''Atlanta to the 
Sea ;" he had penetrated the outer shell of the Confederacy 
meeting with but little opposition, destroying all that 
would contribute to the supply of the army of the enemy. 
Prom Savannah he had moved up the coast, occupying 
Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, moving north 
he met the army of General Johnston, and at Bentonville 
the last important battle of the War was fought, Gen- 
eral Johnston's army being crushed and forced to sur- 
render. 

The terms of surrender given General Johnston by 
General Sherman, the same as those of General Grant to 
Lee, were not approved by the government at Washing- 
ton, the irascible secretary of war, Stanton, going so far 
as to publicly reprimand General Sherman through ord- 
ers, and practically removing him from his command, but 
the country was with General Sherman, condemning Sec- 
retary Stanton for his arbitrary act. 

The closing spectacle of the W^ar and the greatest 
dramatic event ever witnessed in our country, was the 
grand review of the armies in ^^'ashington, following the 
surrender of Lee and Johnston. After the surrender 
the Arm}' of the Potomac was ordered to Alexandria. 
Virginia, and into camp to wait the preparation for the 
review. General Sherman's army was also ordered mto 
camp at Arlington. 

I was not only desirous but determined to witness 
this great event. My brother, Capt. C. D., had written 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OK THE REBELLION 



nic from tlic (jlh N. H. Regiment, alreadx- at Alexandria 
with the Army of tlie Potomac, urging me to come out to 
the review if J was al)le to do so. T was willing to take 
the risk, and therefore started, and arrixed in Washing- 
ton soon after noon of the 20th of Alay. l-'rom Washing- 
ton 1 went to Alex- 
andria by the Wash- 
ington & Richmond 
railroad. At the 
depot in Alexandria 
I hired an antiqua- 
ted hack to take me 
to the cam]) of the 
<)th Arm\- Corps, 
where I soon found 
the 9th N. H. Reg- 
iment. The cam]) 
of the a r m y 
stretched for miles 
oxer the fields and 
iln-ough the valley's 
around Alexandria. 
1 found the officers 
and men alike, all 
l)usy, remo\"ing the 
surplus soil of \'ir- 
ginia from their 
clothing. brushing 
up, polishing arms 
and equipments, and 
a general cleaning 
up going- on, pre- 
l)aring for the great e\ent. 

The next morning I was introduced l)y n\\ brother 
to several of the officers of the 9th regiment, who I had 
never met. One of the sorrows incidental to my leaving 




CAPT. CHAS. D. COPP IN 1865. 



SURRENDER OF LEE AND END OF THE WAR 

the army before the close of the War was the selhng of 
my horse Don, having no place or use for him at home, 
as I thought at the time, although many misgivings 
came to my mind months, and even years, after I had 
parted with him. Now I was to have a surprise and a 
pleasure in meeting Don, the property of one of the offi- 
cers of the 9th N. H. It was suggested by the Colonel of 
the Qth and some of the other officers that we take a ride 
to Mount Vernon, the home of AVashington, some two 
or three miles only from where we were in camp. This 
was an invitation that I could not refuse, especially since 
Don was offered to me for the trip. I had not been on 
any horse since I dismounted from him before going in- 
to the Battle of Deep Bottom. Mounted once more on 
this magnificent animal, the old feeling of animation 
amounting to little less than an inspiration, and all that 
there is in life of the spirit of energy came back to me. 
Here we were again, Don and I, and, as I believed, Don 
shared with me the old feeling of companionship and we 
were oft' for our morning ride ; Don, never a laggard, 
kept pace with the best of them. My physical disabili- 
ties were forgotten and the enjoyment of that trip is still 
a pleasant memory. It was ni}^ first and only visit to the 
home of Washington, a visit that every American should 
make in their lifetime. 

The 23rd was the first day of the grand review, and 
first was to be the Army of the Potomac. The night be- 
fore the army had moved from its camp at Alexandria, 
marched across Long Bridge to Washington, and into 
camp on the plateau northeast of the capitol building. 

There had been a dismal rain at times for several 
days, but on the morning of the 23rd the clouds rolled 
away, and with a cool, delightful atmosphere, the day be- 
gan most auspiciously. The city was full of strangers, 
estimated at 100,000, and were massed early in the morn- 
ing along the line of march of the troops, from the Cap- 

513 



RICMIXTSCEXCES OF THE WAR OF THE REP.ELI.IOX 

itol building throiigii Pennsylvania Avenue, on each side 
a dense mass of humanity. Positions had been taken by 
the sight-seers in every window of every buikling along 
the line. 

1 had l)een invited l)y Major Chandler of the 9th X. 
PI. Regiment to ride with him upon the Review as a mem- 
ber of his staff; this would have been a pleasure, but my 
ride to Mount Vernon had disabled me from further 
horse-back riding for the time being. I was fortunate 
in securing a pass from General Augur, the Alilitary 
Commander of Washington, and early took my position 
near the reviewing stand in front of the \A'hite House. 

The reviewing stand that had been erected directly 
in front of the White House, covering the entire width of 
the very wide sidewalk, was filled with dignitaries of the 
land — President Johnson and his Cabinet; General (irant 
upon the right of the President, and the Secretary of 
War, Stanton, at General Grant's right ; on the left of 
the President was General Sherman ; the Secretary of the 
Navy, Gideon Wells; Quartermaster-General Meigs; the 
Secretary of the Treasury, Hugh McCullock; General 
Rawlins, General Grant's Chief of StafT, sat near General 
Grant ; and Colonel Parker, a full blooded Indian, a mem- 
ber of General Grant's staff. There was also upon the 
stand members of the dififerent diplomatic corps of the 
countries of the world; Senators and Members of Con- 
gress; Governors of States were also there; Judges of the 
United States Supreme Court, some few of these great 
men of the country I recognized, and many were pointed 
out to me. My position was at the foot of the steps lead- 
ing up to the grandstand and directly on line of the front 
of tlie sidewalk — licre T had a fine view of those upon the 
stand as well as the tr()()])s in their passage. General 
Grant sat near tlie end, and upon his knees were his two 
youngest boys, Jesse and PHysses, and Fred, then about 
14 years of age, standing by his side. 



SURRENDER OF LEE AND END OF THE WAR 

I had gone to General Augur's headquarters on the 
corner of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue to get my 
pass, and there I saw Secretary Seward in a blanket 
wrapper at one of the windows. It is well remembered 
that at the time of the assassination of President Lin- 
coln, an attempt was also made to murder the cabinet 
officers; Secretary Seward having been dangerously 
wounded at that time, was now recovering. He had a 
vantage point to witness the review, being directly at the 
turning point at the corner of 15th Street. 

Promptly at nine o'clock the signal gun was heard, 
and the Army of the Potomac, headed by General Alead 
and his staff, took up the march from their camp east of 
the Capitol, marching down Capitol Hill around the Cap- 
itol Building into Pennsylvania Avenue, through the en- 
tire length of the Avenue, past the White House, with 
battle flags of each regiment flying in the breeze, most 
of them in tatters from the enemy's bullets and the 
weather, but precious in the eyes of every soldier who 
had so bravely fought under their folds — the several bands 
playing patriotic airs. 

The troops marched by division front, two compan- 
ies in each regiment forming a division, turning at the 
Treasury Building, continuing on past the White House. 
General Mead and his brilliant stafT having passed the 
reviewing stand, in the order of reviews as prescribed by 
armv regulations, the General turned out from the col- 
umn, came back, dismounted, and took his place beside 
the reviewing officer, the President of the United States, 
and Commander-in-Chief. This was repeated by the 
Army Corps Commanders, and also the Division Com- 
manders. This is the invariable rule and practice in the 
passage of troops in review. The Commander in taking 
his place beside the reviewing officer, is for the specific 
purpose of giving him information as to his connnand 
during the passage of his troops. 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OK Till-] KEl UOLIJOX 

First came that inag'iiiticcnt Ixxly of troops that prob- 
a1)ly never saw its counterpart. Sheridan's cavah-y, who 
under the leadership of that intrepid commander, Gen- 
eral Phil Sheridan, iiad repeatedly executed strategic 
movements throughout the War, time after time cutting 
through their lines and doing execution against the en- 
emy that thrilled an onlooking world with wonder. Ev- 
ery one was disappointed in not seeing General Sheridan 
at the head of his command, he having but a few days 
before been ordered to take command of our troops in 
Texas, where along upon the Rio Grande River, condi- 
tions called for a wise and efficient commander. The so- 
called Guerillas of the South, particularly in Texas, were 
still in arms. 

During the passage of the cavalry there was great 
excitement and amusement created by the runaway of 
General Custer's horse — General Custer being in com- 
mand of one of the divisions of the cavalry — when he 
came tearing down Pennsylvania Avenue, hatless, and 
with his long curls flying in the air, likewise his exag- 
geratednecktie ; in any event he showed his superb horse- 
manship in the wild ride that he took for a mile or more 
along the flank of the marching troops. At the end of 
the ride when he had apparently resumed control of his 
spirited horse, he was greeted by vociferous cheers from 
the crowd. 

General Custer was one of our greatest of cavalry 
leaders. Altogether too young he met his tragic death on 
the plains in the Custer Massacre. 

After the head of the cavalry had passed the review- 
ing of^cer, General Wesley E. ^Nlerritt, one of the most 
dashing of our young cavalry officers, who was in com- 
mand, wheeled out from the column, rode up to the re- 
viewing stand and dismounted directly in front of where 
I was standing. His appearance made a marked im- 



516 



SURRENDER OF LEE AND END OF THE WAR 

pression upon me, being the most youthful in appear- 
ance of any of the Major-Generals in the column. 

Followingthe cavalry came the 9th Army Corps, with 
General John G. Parke in command. General Burnside, 
whose name is inseparably connected with the 9th Army 
Corps, had been succeeded in the command by General 
Parke who had won fame by his gallant leadership. 
General Burnside was a very popular officer with the men 
of his command; while he had been an unsuccessful 
leader it was generally believed that his failures were 
not so much the result of his own acts, but that jealousy 
and intrigue had defeated his purposes. On that day of 
all days it would have been most gratifying to the officers 
and men if General Burnside could have led the march of 
the 9th Army Corps. 

As the troops of the several regiments, brigades and 
divisions marched along with a steady, strong cadence, 
marking the veteran soldier, cheer after cheer along the 
whole line greeted them; and it was generally acknowl- 
edged that this Corps represented the perfect drill of an 
army corps known as the "flower of the army, and the 
most finished of fighting material that four years of ter- 
rific and bloody schooling could produce." I was espec- 
ially interested in this Corps, for in it was one of the best 
of New Hampshire's regiments, the 9th, and in this regi- 
ment was my brother, Capt. C. D. Copp, commanding 
the color company and leading his division. 

Following the infantry of the 9th Corps was the 9th 
Corps Artillery Brigade; a most interesting and brilliant 
sight was this Artillery Brigade with its horses and guns, 
the shining brass Napoleons, and the saucy, savage look- 
ing Parrot guns, drawn by four horses to a gun, upon the 
leading horse of each four was the mounted driver, the 
other men of the battery riding upon caissons and car- 
riage ; the officers and non-commissioned officers also 
mounted. 

517 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

The 3rcl Corps followed the gth, "the fighting old 3rd 
Corps," as its meml^ers delighted to term it ; upon every 
battlefield of Virginia had they sealed with their life- 
blood their devotion to their country. At Gettysburg, 
under their great leader, General Sickles, they saved the 
day at Little Round Top on the second day of this the 
greatest battle of the \\3.r, which proved the high water 
mark of the Rebellion. General Sickles, too. was missed 
in this grand last march of the old 3rd Corps — he had 
lost a leg at Gettysburg, and almost his life. He was 
here today, the most interested of all spectators to wit- 
ness the final and crowning march of his old command. 

The 2nd Corps, although the last in the passage, was 
received with no less enthusiasm than the troops pre- 
ceding; it made a brilliant record throughout the War, 
and need take no second place in history. General A\'in- 
field S. Hancock, " the superb," as his admirers were 
pleased to call him, had been at the head of the old 2nd 
Corps through the great battles from the Rapidan to the 
Appomatox, — one of the strongest of Grant's Lieuten- 
ants — at the Wilderness, at Chancellorsville, Cold Har- 
bor, and at the lesser battles of the campaign in 1864. and 
doubtless would have been the successor of General Grant 
had the calamity of the loss of General Grant occured. 
General Hancock had been badly wounded at Gettys- 
burg and had 1)een in a precarious condition much of the 
time. He had now returned to his command and be- 
fore he could sit upon his horse, having his headquarters, 
not in the saddle, but in a carriage, for some little time 
after the forward movement commenced ; he was not in 
command today — he was conspicuous by his absence. 
At the head of the 2nd Corps in the review was that able 
General who had won a place of distinction among our 
leading generals, and a conspicuous figure here today, 
Major-General Andrew A. Humphrey, who with his en- 
tire staf¥ riding at the head of the column, were nuninted 

318 



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SURRENDER OF LEE AND END OF THE WAR 

Upon white horses, presenting a very unique and pleasing- 
appearance, and attracted much attention. 

It was the sight of one's hfe — this magnificent army 
■ — the Army of the Potomac — to be followed on the mor- 
row by that other magnificent army of General Sherman, 
who had encircled the Confederacy and cut it in twain — 
nearly 200,000 veterans with the leading generals of the 
War who had made themselves famous, proudly leading 
in this triumphal march; just such an army never before 
existed in the world's history, and probably will never be 
repeated — this army of 200,000 — it is difficult for the 
average mind to picture 200.000 men — 200,000 of hard- 
ened veterans, the survival of the fittest — men who had 
experienced four long years of war, and through super- 
ior physical vigor had become the hardened veterans that 
they were — proudly they marched with the step of veter- 
ans, steady and strong, the incarnation of strength, their 
faces as brown as the Indians from years of exposure to 
the sun and storm. 

The glory of the achievements of our army was not 
alone with the generals who directed its movments, nor 
with others who wore the mark of distinction as com- 
missioned officers, but to these men in the ranks carry- 
ing the rifles, was honor equally due and with the thous- 
ands of these men whose names are known only to a few, 
were ideals as high and patriotic and with many of them 
there was latent ability that conditions had not devel- 
oped to the public eye. To the men in the ranks in many 
instances was there even more honor due for greater 
courage shown, and whose heroism and sacrifices won 
the victories. 

It was now three o'clock in the afternoon, and the 
last of the 2nd Corps had passed; six full hours the Army 
of the Potomac had been moving past the reviewing 
stand, and the head of the column had already reached 
Alexandria and gone into camp. 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REiJELl.luN 

I returned to my hotel and to my room completely 
exhausted, but satisfied; tomorrow the great army of 
General Sherman would make its last grand march, and 
1 was to witness it. 




CHAPTER XXXVI. 

THE REVIEW OF GENERAL SHERMAN'S ARMY. 

The Remarkable Record of the 3rd N. H. Regiment — 
The End of My Story. 




'T was the morning of the second day of the Grand 
Review. When I came down from my room in the 
hotel, the Old National, I found the corridor full 
of people — officers and soldiers in uniform pre- 
dominating. Again the City of Washington was taking 
on a holiday air; it was the second day of the greatest 
event in its history. Although early, the streets were 
thronged with people, civilians and soldiers, men, w^omcn 
and children. 

Mv brother, Capt. C. D. Copp, who had marched in 
the review of the Army of the Potomac the day before 
and back to his camp at Alexandria, was to join me in 
witnessing the passage of General Sherman's Army in 
review. I had not long to wait, and w^e both started up 
Pennsylvania Avenue through the crowd, on the w^ay to 
the grand stand in front of the White House. Like the 
day before, the atmosphere was balmy and delightful. 

Upon our arriving near the grand stand we found 
already there a large number of people who like ourselves 
had been favored with passes. Near the grand stand, in 
command of the Military Guard, was Cob George Bow- 
ers of Nashua, who greeted us pleasantly and assisted 
in securing a vantage point for us, practically the same 
that I had occupied the day before. 

523 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

General Sliernian, the most picturesque and next to 
the greatest general of the War, mounted upon his favor- 
ite war-horse followed by his large stafT, soon came into 
sight around the corner of 15th Street, and Pennsylvania 
Avenue, followed l)y that great army of the West that 
had just completed its two thousand mile march from 
"Atlanta to the Sea," up the coast through Georgia and 
the Carolinas, sweeping the enemy before them ; General 
Sherman and his army second only to General Grant and 
the victorious Army of the Potomac. 

There was Cjuite a dit^erence noticeable in the char- 
acteristics of the soldiers of General Grant and those of 
Sherman. In the march of this army of the A\'est, the 
soldiers of the West show^ed more of the swinging in- 
dependent step, a most natural result of their long un- 
ceasing march throug'h the enemy's country. 

General Sherman having passed the reviewing stand, 
left the column and took his place beside President John- 
son. He dismounted immediately in our front, and as- 
cended the steps leading to the grand stand, and here oc- 
curred a scene that exhibited the strong fiery character 
of this great General. It will be remembered that the 
Secretary of War, Stanton, had humiliated General Sher- 
man before the whole country but a few days before in 
general orders, denouncing Sherman for the terms of sur- 
render granted by him to the rebel General Johnston and 
his army. Secretary Stanton as it happened, sat next to 
the head of the stairs upon the stand. As General Sher- 
man approached, Secretary Stanton arose and extended 
his hand. General Sherman, resenting with indignation 
the indignity placed upon him, without looking at the 
Secretary of War, placed his left arm against Stanton's 
shoulder brushing him aside, and grasped the hand of the 
President, shaking hands with General Grant and the 
Cabinet of^cers, leaving Secretary of War Stanton like 
a whipped cliild to take his seat. It was a most sen- 

5^4 



REVIEW OF GENERAL SHERMAN'S ARMY 

sational and interesting sight to those who were near 
enough to see and understand the situation. We saw 

clearly the two men as they niet, and the hot blood of 
General Sherman to redden his face, and in my imagina- 
tion his very red hair to stand on end. 

Following General Sherman and his staff was General 
Kilpatrick and his cavalry, next on the roll of fame to 
that of General Sheridan and his cavalry. 

Following the cavalry was the Army of the Tennes- 
see. This army had been commanded by General O. O. 
Howard from July, 1864 to April, 1865. Soon after the 
surrender of Lee, General Howard was detached from 
his command to take charge of the Freedman's Bureau. 
In this review. General Sherman recognizing the honor 
due to General Howard, invited him to ride with him 
upon his staff, and General Howard with his stafT made 
the passage with General Sherman at the head of his 
army. 

Following the Army of the Tennessee was General 
Slocum and staff, at the head of the Army of Georgia. 
Upon the staff of General Slocum was Senator Foraker 
of Ohio, then a boy of twenty and a Lieutenant. 

At the head of the 15th Corps was Major-General 
John A. Logan, followed by the 17th Corps commanded 
by Major-General Frank P. Blair. 

Stalwart heroes were those boys of the Army of the 
West, striding along with their rifles carried at ease, 
their uniforms more rusty than those of the Armv of the 
Potomac, but in their fighting qualities comparisons 
could not be made. 

This army of General Sherman's had just completed 
a long march through the enemy's country, living chiefly 
upon the country they passed through ; in this review it 
was the design of General Sherman not to put on a holi- 
day appearance, but to give the President and the people 
a sight of his army as it really was. They had with them 

525 



RKMIXISCKXCES OF THE WAR OF TlIF REBELLION 

as llicy had upon their march through Georgia and the 
CaroHnas, captured horses and mules, many negroes, 
women and children that had been army followers, the 
children on the l)acks of the mules and the negro women 
leading, making- a most grotescjue appearance; horses 
loaded down with cooking utensils; chickens, geese and 
other products of the country, that "Sherman's bum- 
mers" had captured and taken possession of. The skill 
of the bummers in foraging for supplies was marvellous. 




RAIDING A PLANTATION. 

When they started out in the morning they were always 
on foot, but scarcely one returned in the evening on foot, 
always mounted upon a horse or mule, loaded down with 
supplies; these they turned over for general use, and on 
the next morning again would start out on foot, to return 
in the evening moimted as before. 

Sherman's foragers had instructions to kill all blood- 
hounds that were found; these dogs were not only used 
to capture runaway slaves, but were also used to capture 
escaped Union prisoners. One of the men had picked up 
a i)oodle. the favorite pet of the mistress of the house, and 

526 



REVIEW OF GENERAL SHERMAN'S ARMY 

was carrying it off to execution, when the lady made a 
strong appeal to spare her pet, the soldier replied, 
"Madam, our orders are to kill all blood-hounds.'' 

"But this is not a blood-hound/' protested the lady. 

"Well, madam," he said, "we can't tell what it will 
grow into so we can't lea\'e it liehind," and the soldier 
moved on with the dog under his arm. 

The last division of that great army that had 
marched from "Atlanta to the Sea" had passed the re- 
viewing stand and the President and Cabinet, the 
Diplomats and the Members of Congress and the Gen- 
erals who had been on the reviewing stand, rose from 
their seats to take their leave. The crowd surged around 
the stand to get a nearer view of the great Generals and 
the great men of the nation. We maintained our posi- 
tion near the foot of the stairs as* they came down the 
steps, and here we saw another striking illustration of 
the characteristics of General Sherman. As he at- 

tempted to descend, the crowd pushed up the stairway 
to grasp him by the hand and to load him down with 
flowers. He accepted all the flowers that he could hold 
in one hand and under his arm, and to gratify the people, 
shook hands, as is ever the desire of a crowd in meet- 
ing great men. The General was very afTable at first, 
patiently shaking hands with his admirers, and the 
crowd all the while seemingly to grow more dense. The 
hand shakes became less and less cordial, and the Gen- 
eral's affability apparently departing. 

He pushed down step by step — we could see that 
his patience was exhausted, and refusing the offered 
hands, forced his way down, brushing aside the men in 
front of him, finally exclaiming angrily, "Damn you, get 
out of the way! Get out of the way!" 

The crowd concluding that he meant just what he 
said, gave way for him to descend, and mounting his 
horse he rode away. I do not know that I e\er saw 

527 



REVIEW OF GENERAT. SHERMAN'S ARMY 



this incident in print; nor that of the reception he gave 
to the Secretary of War wlien he went on to the stand. 
Upon the passage of the last soldier of this great 
army, and the people were moving on and away, I felt 
that the curtain of the great drama had been run down, 
the last scene of the tragedy of all tragedies closed, and 

has passed into his- 
tory, and slowly and 
thoughtfully w e 

moved with the 
throng, back to the 
hotel, where I bade 
my brother good- 
1)ye, he returning to 
his regiment at 
Alexandria, a few 
weeks later to be 
mustered out of ser- 
vice, and I the next 
morning taking the 
train for home. 

It is characteristic 
of the American sol- 
dier to believe that 
his own regiment is. 
all things consider- 
ed, a little better 
GEN. A. D. AYLiNG. tliau any other regi- 

Adjutant General of New Hampshire from 1879 to 1007. t-|ip,if i.-i •f-l-ip service 

This conviction is 
so strong that had this particular regiment been 
left out. it is doubtful if the ^^^ar could have been brought 
to a successful close. This feeling is what is termed 
"esprit de corps," and in the Union army it reached its 
highest exemplification. \\'hile I have never persuaded 
myself that the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment was su- 

528 




REVIEW OF GENERAL, SHERMAN'S ARMY 

perior to all others, no argument could convince me 
that it was not equal to any other in its morale and ni 
its fighting- qualities, and it is with no little pride that I 
make the comparison taken from the record of the New 
Hampshire regiments in the War of the Rebellion by 
Adjutant-General A. D. Ayling. 

And right here I would give more than passing no- 
tice of General Ayling, a brave soldier through the War 
of the Rebellion and a personal friend of many years 

standing. 

His services to his country through the War was 
with the Massachusetts troops, one of the first to enlist 
early in April, 1861, first in the 7th Massachusetts Bat- 
tery, and in Januarv, 1862, was promoted to 2nd Lieuten- 
ant and assigned to the 29th Mass. Vols-, and in 1864, 
was again promoted and appointed Adjutant of the 24th 
Mass.Vols., and later appointed aide-de-camp upon the 
staff of Major-General R. S. Foster, serving for a time 
as Judge Advocate. He saw hard service with the Army 
of the Potomac, a most efficient and gallant officer. 

Making his home in New Hampshire after the 
War, in 1879, he was appointed Adjutant-General of this 
state, and for many years rendered most valuable service 
to the military of New Hampshire in that capacity. His 
"Record of the New Hampshire Soldiers of the War of 
the Rebellion" is acknowledged to be the most complete 
of any that has yet been published, and will remain 
through all the future a most valuable record and a mon- 
ument to General Ayling's efficiency as our Adjutant- 
General for nearly thirty years. I have never known the 
accuracy of the book to be called in ([uestion. 

New Hampshire furnished to the Union army 29,- 
150 men who enlisted for three years. 

Of this number there were killed or died of wounds 
6 5-10 percent. By regiments the loss in killed or died 
of wounds was as follows: 

529 



RK.MI.\1S("1-:XCI':S ok TUK war of TIII': ItlOl'.KI-LK i.X 

jnd RegiiiieiU. 7 3-10 percent. 
3r(l Regiment, 1 1 i-io percent. 
4th Regiment, 5 5-10 percent. 
5th Regiment. II i-io percent. 
6th Regiment, 7 5-10 percent. 
7th Regiment. 8 6-10 percent. 
9th Regiment. 7 6-10 percent. 

loth Regiment. 3 percent. 

nth Regiment, 8 2-10 percent. 

I2th Regiment. 12 3-10 percent. 

13th Regiment. 7 i-io percent. 

14th Regiment, 4 8-10 percent. 

15th Regiment, 3 3-10 percent. 

i6th Regiment, o. 

17th Regiment, o. 

1 8th Regiment, o. 

Fifty percent of the entire loss of the 12th Xew 
Hampshire regiment was at ChanceHorsville in one bat- 
tle, where the remnant of the regiment was practically 
annihilated. 

It is well known that the 15th N. H. Regiment stands 
at the head of the list of all other regiments in the Union 
army with the largest percentage of loss from all causes. 

I have in these "Reminiscences" avoided much of 
statistical information that would be of interest to some, 
but I have realized, would be dry reading to most peo- 
ple. In closing this my last chapter, I will add something 
taken from Fox's Statistics of the W'av of the Rebellion, 
which to me is interesting, and I think will 1ie found in- 
teresting to most of my readers: 

"It was the greatest war of tlic century, and in 
some particidars the greatest in history; there haxe been 
larger armies in the field — in the Franco-Prussian A\'ar 
the Germans took 797. Q50 men into France, and lost 
3 T-io percent: in the Crimean War the h^ss \\as 3 1-2 
percent: in the Mexican War the loss ^vas i 2-10 percent; 

330 



REVIEW OF GENERAL. SHERMAN'S ARMY 

in the War of the Rebellion, the Union armies lost 4 7-10 
percent and the Confederate losswas overQ percent; in all 
history there is nothing that shows snch a large percent 
of killed and wounded. The loss in killed and died of 
wounds in the Spanish War in Cuba was 318, a less num- 
ber than the losses in single regiments in the Union 
army of the War of the Rebellion. 

"The comparison of the Battle of Waterloo and of 
Gettysburg is very striking; at Waterloo the French num- 
bered 80,000 men and 250 guns; the allies had 72,000 
men and 186 guns. At Gettysburg the Union army was 
82.000 men and 300 guns, the Rebel army 70,000 
men and 250 guns. The losses at Waterloo, the French 
26.300, the alHes 23.185; at Gettysburg, the Union loss 
23,093 ; Confederate loss 27.448." 

In the War of the Rebellion, death from all causes: 

Enrolled Died Per C 

Volunteers 2.080.193 316,883 15.2 

Regulars 67,000 5,798 8.6 

Colored Troops 178-975 36,847 20.5 

Total 2.326.168 359-5^8 15.4 

The muster rolls show that the average age of the 
soldier in the Union army was 25 years; that there were 
133,475. eighteen years of age; 90.215. nineteen years of 
age; 46,626, twenty-five years of age. and 16.070 forty- 
four years of age. 

Of the two million men of the army, three-fourths 
were native Americans; of the 500,000 soldiers of foreign 
birth Germany furnished 175,000. Ireland 150.000. Eng- 
land 50,000, British America 50,000, other countries 
75,000. 

The average height of the American soldier was 5 
feet 8 1-4 inches. The men from Maine. Indiana, Iowa. 
Alissouri and Kentucky were slightly over 6 feet: the 
West A'irginians averaged 5 feet, 9 inches in height. Of 



.•^3 



RK.AIIMSCEXCES (>!•' TTTK WAR OF Till-: RKP.ELLIOX 

the recorded heights tlicre were some who were over 7 
feet in height. There could have been formed from our 
armv a regiment that would have surpassed the famous 
giant guards of Frederick the Great; but tall men proved 
to be poor material for a long, toilsome campaign. AVheu 
after a hard, forced march the captain looked over his 
company at nightfall to see how many men he had 
with him, the "ponies'' who trudged along at the tail end 
(if the company were generally all there — it was the head 
of the company that was thinned out. 

The recorded weight of the soldier is incomi)lete. 
but such as are found, they indicate that the average 
weight was 1433^ pounds. 

From statements as to occupation, it appears that 
48 percent were farmers; 39 percent were mechanics; 16 
percent were laborers; 5 percent were in commercial 
])ursuits; 3 percent were professional men; and 4 percent 
were of miscellaneous vocations. 

From the officer's roster of the Indian Kansas reg- 
iment we iind : 

First Indian Guard — -"Gaptain Tul-se-fix-se-ko ; 
killed February i, 1863." 

First Indain Guards — "Gaj^tain Ah-ha-la-tus-ta-nuk- 
ke; died at Gamp Aloonlight. Ark.. March 23, 1863." 

"Captain Ta-ma-tus-ta-nuk-ka ; cashiered December 
27, 1862." 

"Captain Akd>:i-\ali-go-ho-la ; deserted December 
27, 1862." 

(It is hoped that in the heat of action these officers 
did not stand upon their dignity and insist upon being 
addressed by their full names.) 

Second Indian Guards — "Captain Spring Frog, nuis- 
tered out May 31. 1865." 

"Captain l^h' Tadpole, died of disease April 15, 
1863." 



532 



REVIEW OF GENERAL, SHERMAN'S ARMY 

"Lieutenant Andrew Rabl)it ; resigned Julv 12, 
1863." 

, "Captain Jim Ned; missing since August 31, 1862." 

"Captain Dirt Throw Tiger; resigned August i, 
1863." 

Third Indian Guards — "Captain Daniel Grasshopper; 
died October 3, 1862 of wounds received in action." 

From the roster of the One Hundred and Twelfth 
Illinois — Company A — "Lorenzo Brown; kicked to death 
by a mule at Somerset, Ky., April 23. 1864." 

Twenty- First Massachusetts, Company E — "Ser- 
geant Thomas Plunkett, lost both arms while carrying 
regimental U. S. flag at Fredricksburg, discharged Mav 
9/1863." 

Twenty-Sixth North Carolina (C. S. A.) Company 
F— "Mrs. L. M. Blaylock; enlisted March 20. 1861 ; dis- 
charged for being a woman." 

One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Pennsylvania, Com- 
pany F — "Sergeant Frank Mayne ; deserted Aug. 24. 
1862; subsequently killed in battle in another regiment, 
and discovered to be a woman; real name, Francis Day." 

Second Michigan, Company F — "Franklin Thomp- 
son; deserted." (Charge of desertion removed by House 
Committee on Military Affairs, Washington, Februarv. 
1887, the soldier had a good record and had fought well 
in several battles, but proved to be a woman; real name 
was Miss Seelye.) 

Fifth New York Cavalry, Company G — "John Evens ; 
March 7, 1865, had a ball pass through a pack of cards 
and a plug of tobacco, lodging against the skin opposite 
his heart." 

It was a slave holder rebellion — a rebellion of the 
South, not as against oppression, unjust taxation and for 
liberty, as did our forefathers rebel against the wrongs of 
England. There is no analogy between the rebellion of 
our forefathers against the misrule of iMigland. and the 

533 



KIOMIMSCIONTIOS ()l<" 'rill-: WAIi ol' Till-: lilOlllOI.I.U ».\ 

rebellion of tlu- v^^outh ;ii;;iinsl our ^oNenimciU ; it was a 
war to establish a i^oxoninient of the South, whose foun- 
dation stone was to be human slavery, there was no claim 
of wrong- of the North against the South other than the 
one (|uestion of slavery, and 1 wish to call the attention of 
the younger people of this generation to these truths — 
it is a fallacy to justify the people of the South, who 
waged against their government the most wicked war of 
the age, to say that they " thought they were right." It 
was a rebellion against the best government upon earth 
by the South, because the higher civilization of the North 
would not countenance the wicked institution of slavery 
by permittingits extension beyond the boundaries of what 
is known as the Mason and Dixon line. It was a war 
\\'aged with relentless and barbaric fury, with wicked 
practices beyond that of any other war in modern times. 
Treason and firing upon the tlag of our country is and was 
a crime black with infamy and the sophistry of those who 
would do it honor cannot refine it. 

]n the discussions of the war by Xorthcru people 
through its progress and through all the years since its 
close, there was and is a class of people \\ho have gi\en 
undue credit to the ability of the Southern leaders of the 
Rebellion, and specifically (ienoral Lee, as the greatest of 
war generals. It was this encouragement to the rebel lead- 
ers, as expressed particularly by the Copperhead news- 
papers of the North, that gave aid to the Southern armies 
in fighting their battles, and beyond any reasonable doubt, 
extended the war for many months, adding to its casual- 
ties, horrors and useless sacrifices. 

To say that General Lee and his generals in their 
strategic skill and abilitx' as leaders of armies were su- 
perior to Grant and our leading generals, is not true, and 
no student of history can claim that it is true. To those 
who followed the fortunes of war and to those who have 
studied themovements of our arnn'es, it is well kno\\n that 



RKNIKVV OK GENKRAL SUKRAIAX'S ARiMV 

the ])liysical advanlai^es through ilic war were with (ien- 
eral Lee and his army. Whenever there was a battle 
fought outside of the intrenchnients, behind which the 
army of the South almost invariably was protected, when- 
ever a battle was fought, 1 say, outside of the intrench- 
nients, Lee's army met with defeat. 

The greater percentage of loss in the Confederate ar- 
my over that of the Union forces is not the proof of su- 
l^eriority; in the Union army there were over 300 regi- 
ments that were not in action, and 300 more regiments 
that were under fire but a very few times during their 
ser\ice. A large percent of the Union army were guard- 
ing lines of supplies and doing garrison duty in forts and 
cities captured from the enemy, while every Confederate 
regiment within their own lines upon the defensive, was 
kept at the front, the ranks being repeatedly filled by con- 
scription of recruits. Thus it is seen that the excess of 
of percentage of loss of the Confederates over that of the 
I'nion forces is from the fact of there being so many 
hundred thousand men of the Union army not on the 
fii'ing line. 

I he story of the war has not, and can never be. told 
in its entirety, the individual ex])eriences of thousands of 
officers and men in the 300 battles of the war daily mak- 
ing history that would fill volumes. My efforts have 
failed to satisfy myself; each chapter has been submitted 
with misgivings, knowing how far short I had come in 
presenting a complete picture of "all that T saw. a part of 
M'hich T was '' 

I^ realize that the interest in these "Reminiscences" 
is limited. Those who experienced the soldier's life, I can 
understand, would follow with interest the story of events 
hi which they, too. were a part, stimulating in 'them rem- 
miscences. too. which arc of profound interest; and to the 
older generation it would bring back memories of scenes 
of the stirring times of wvar in which they lived, and also 

535 



REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 

enactedtheii" part. To the youngerg'eneration the story of 
the War of the Rebellion is not unlike that of the history 
of other wars in which they have no personal interest ; to 
them it is in the dead past, yet not meaningless to all ; some 
but too few, fully realizing that they are today enjoying 
blessings at the cost of so much blood and sacrifices of 
their fathers, and it comes to them, as they feel, by right 
of inheritance, yet I am sure that this same generation and 
every generation of American people that may follow, 
will have the same patriotic valor that will respond to 
every emergency that calls for their country's defense. 

If I have added anything to the history of New Hamp- 
shire's part in the great struggle — if I have added to the 
knowledge of the readers of these reminiscences anything 
of the details of the soldier's life — if I have added to the 
pleasure of those who have read the story — then I am sat- 
isfied. 




THE END. 



;36 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 
THE OPENING OF THE WAR. Page 
I enlist as Private in Company F, 3rd New Hampshire Volunteers. 
The Rendezvous of Troops at Concord and Organization of 
the 3rd N. H. Regiment 11 

CHAPTER II. 
Third Regiment at Camp of Instruction on Long Island 21 

CHAPTER III. 
Camp in Washington — Lincoln and McClellan Visit Our Camp.... 33 

CHAPTER IV. 
SHERMAN EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL. 
Fearful Storm at Sea — Several Vessels go to the Bottom 43 

CHAPTER Y. 
The Battle of Port Royal — Capture of Forts Walker and Beauregard 59 

CHAPTER VI. 
Camp Life at Hilton Head 73 

CHAPTER VII. 
Camp and Picket Guard — The Long Roll 89 

CHAPTER VIII. 
CAPTURE OF FORT PULASKI. 
Campaigning on the Mud Islands of the Savannah River 99 

CHAPTER IX. 
On to Charleston — Spoiling for a Fight Ill 

CHAPTER X. 
THE JAMES ISLAND CAMPAIGN. 

Charleston in Sight — The Enemy in our Front 123 

I. 



CHAPTER XI. Page 

Till'] BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE. 
My First Battle and its Sensations 131 

i . 1 ' «■ I J I . I 1 ; -' ' 

CHAPTER XII. 
OUR RETREAT FROM SECESSIONVILLE. 

Capture of Company H Upon Pickney Island — The Rebel General 

Lee — Forgotten Truths 145 

CHAPTER XIII. 
A Day in Camp — On the Sea Island Plantations 159 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Battle of Pocotagligo — Epidemic of Yellow Fever 175 

CHAPTER XV. 
Active Operations Against Charleston Begin 185 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Naval Attack Upon Charleston — Our Camp at Botany Bay Island 205 

CHAPTER XVIL 
The Capture of .Morris Island 221 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
The Battle of Fort Wagner — The Siege of Charleston Begins 237 

CHAPTER XIX. 
SIEGE OPERATIONS UPON MORRIS ISLAND. 
The Swamp Angel Reaches Charleston with Greek Fire 249 

CHAPTER XX. 
The Forlorn Hope — Capture of Fort Wagner and Battery Gregg 205 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Firing Upon Charleston Continued from Cummings Point— A Visit 
to Charleston in 1905 — The Col. Shaw Memorial School — Boat 
Attack Upon Fort Sumter 275 

CHAPTER XXIL 
Continuation of the Siege of Charleston — Execution of Private 

Kendall for Desertion 287 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
ARMY RED TAPE. 
Leave of Absence and Trip to Florida — Incidents of Camp Life 299 

II. 



CHAPTER XXIV. Pagre 

RE-ENLISTED VETERANS ON A FURLOUGH. 
The Young Ladies Soldiers' Aid Society — Copperheadism in 

Nashua 315 

CHAPTER XXV. 
The 3rd New Hampshire Regiment in Virginia — Mobilizing of 

the Army of the James — We Move Against Richmond 327 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
THE ARMY OF THE JAMES. 
Campaigning in Front of Richmond and Petersburg 347 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
BATTLE OF DRURYS- BLUFF. 
We Capture the Outer Defences of Richmond — My First Wound 371 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Chesapeakee Hospital — The Great Work of the Sanitary Commis- 
sion — General Butler Defeated, Not Only by the Enemy, but 
by His Own Corps Commanders 383 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
The Golden Opportunity of Ending the War in 1864 Lost June 9 

at Petersburg — Sheridan's Cavalry Cross the James 397 

CHAPTER XXX. 
The Siege of Petersburg — "Battle of the Crater" — Camp at Ber- 
muda Hundred 413 

CHAPTER XXXI. 
Battle of Deep Bottom — Wounded — Life Saved by General Haw- 
ley — Death of Colonel Plimpton 429 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

Important Results of the Battle of Deep Bottom — The Dead and 

the Wounded of this Battle — The Field Hospital 457 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 
Between Life and Death at the Chesapeake Hospital — Rescue of 
General Aaron F. Stevens from the Battlefield by Dr. Royal B. 
Prescott 473 

III. 



CHAPTER XXX1\'. Page 

The 3rd Regiment in the Operations in Front of Petersburg and 

Richmond — BattU- of Fort Fisher 487 

CHAPTER XXXV. 
SURRENDER OF LEE AND THE END OF THE WAR. 
Grand Review of the Armies in Washington 505 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 
THE REVIEW OF GENERAL, SHERMAN'S ARMY. 
The Remarkable Record of the 3rd N. H. Regiment — The End of 

^ry Story 523 



IV. 



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